His Two Dads
by Emerald1
Summary: When things fall apart between McGee and Delilah, Admiral McGee sees one last chance to reach out to his son. However, he'll need some help. Team as family. Written for the 2015 NCIS Big Bang. Already complete, 10 chapters. Thanks to Rose Malmaison for the beautiful artwork and Merzibelle for the beta
1. Chapter 1

His Two Dads

He'd read it a dozen times, but the message from Delilah was still the same. At first he'd been shocked that she'd sent an email instead of Skyping, but he suspected that she was afraid of his reaction. That hurt – sure they'd never talked about starting a family, but she should have known he was an honorable man. His hands were shaking when he reached over and pulled the black and white image off his printer.

The ringing of his phone made him jump. It was his sister's name on the caller ID, not the woman he really needed to talk to, but he answered it anyway.

"Hey, Sarah, what's up?"

 _I'm going to be stuck in Georgetown this afternoon and Dad's got Chemo scheduled for today._

Three days a week, for the last six months. The siblings had set up a schedule so that one of them was at the hospital at least briefly for each treatment. Today was Sarah's day. Her timing sucked, but she'd covered for him more than enough times to earn the pass. "Okay, I can be at Bethesda in about twenty minutes."

 _Thanks, Tim. He's talking again about quitting treatments. We've got to figure out something that will make him want to hang on, to give the chemo more time to work._

"Yeah, okay, I'll try to think of something." He ended the call and stared at the tiny shape on the print-out. Four generations of McGee's – well, three plus a Langston – all alive at the same time, that might be something to live for.

-NCIS-

"There you go, Admiral McGee. Now remember, you'll feel a slight flush."

It was the same routine every time. John McGee grimaced as the drugs entered his system. This part was uncomfortable, but it would be several hours before the worst of the side effects hit. "Yes, thank you."

The perky nurse made sure the call button was within reach, then left him alone. John stared at the liquid dripping down out of the bag and into the tube that ran into his arm. The tumor hadn't changed size at all over the last two months and the doctors were talking about trying a different combination of drugs, possibly another round of radiation. The only bright spot had been the improvement in his relationship with his children. It hadn't been easy and he'd had a few late night visits from Tim's boss that had given him a bit of a reality check, one in particular.

 _"What's this?" John was tired and ready to go back to his quarters. The last thing he'd expected was a NCIS agent standing in front of his desk with a stack of files. Instead of answering, the files were dumped unceremoniously onto his desk. "What the – Gibbs, isn't it?"_

 _Gibbs just gave him the look that told John that he was well aware that John knew who he was, but would play along – at least for now. The agent didn't pull any punches as he sat on the edge of the desk. "Been a month since your son found out about the cancer."_

 _"And?"_

 _"I know he's been trying." Gibbs gave him a hard look. "I've seen the look on his face after every visit."_

 _John threw his pen down. "And you think I haven't? Damn it, I don't have that much longer to get that boy into shape. All that potential, and you've got him stuck as tech support."_

 _"Yeah, that's what I thought. Start reading." Gibbs handed him the stack of files, the top one marked Somalia._

 _It was almost daylight when John closed the last file and rubbed his mouth. "My God, I had no idea."_

Being an admiral, it had been many years since John had been the recipient of such a kick in the ass, but after he'd gotten over the sting, he'd been quite grateful. Somewhere in all those files he'd read a comment that referred to his son as having the heart of a lion. It made him proud and ashamed and, if he were honest with himself, a little scared. Instead of hiding behind a monitor, his son was in danger more often than not.

It had never been more apparent than when, months later, a bomb went off aboard the Navy Yard. He'd been at his oncology appointment when there was a call for every available doctor and nurse to report to the Emergency Department. Fearful, he'd gone down to the lobby, hoping to see a familiar face, only to see his son wheeled past him, a large chunk of glass sticking out of his abdomen. There had been a young agent with him, one that John did not recognize, and Tim had been barking orders to him, something about a flash drive and how to continue the search.

 _"Timothy? My God, are you..."_

 _"Hey, Dad." Tim's attention went right back to the other agent. "Gibbs is going to want answers. Start with the banking records from the shell companies. Find out where he's hiding."_

 _"Got it." The agent looked both scared and awed as he nodded to Tim, who grabbed his arm with a bloody hand._

 _"Good, I'm counting on you until I can get out of here, Dorney."_

 _Tim was obviously going into shock, so John interrupted. "Time to stand down, son. You've done your share."_

 _"Too much to do. Gotta find Dearing." Glassy-eyed, Tim reached for the glass shard. "Don't have time for this."_

 _Both John and the agent grabbed at his hands while a nurse called for help. A doctor arrived a moment later with a syringe. In his weakened state, it didn't take long for Tim to succumb to the drugs but just to be safe, John didn't let go. "Dorney, is it?"_

 _"Dorneget, Sir, Ned Dorneget. I, I work with your son."_

 _Under any other circumstances, John would have snapped something about being obvious, but he had other worries. "He was in the blast range?"_

 _"Yeah, he's, umm, been trying to track down Dearing for days, wasn't going to leave his post until he had all of it secured." Dorneget looked down at their hands and John realized that he was rubbing his thumb over Tim's scraped knuckles. "If you've got him, I've got to get back. There's so much to do, but Agent Gibbs didn't want him here by himself."_

 _"Of course. Gibbs, and the others?"_

 _"Bruised and battered." Dorney looked down at Tim. "Of the survivors, I think McGee's one of the most seriously injured so far."_

 _Survivors suggest that all were not that lucky. "Do you know the casualty count?"_

 _Dorneget really looked up at John for the first time and John was struck by how young he was. "I saw three body bags, but they're still digging through the debris."_

 _John was at a loss. In all his years in command, he'd been extraordinarily lucky in that regard. He'd lost a few men over the years, but nothing like what had just happened aboard the Yard. Luckily, Agent Dorneget didn't seem to expect anything from him, just nodded and stepped back before slipping away._

 _An exam room opened up and two orderlies started to roll the gurney down the hallway again and John kept pace. Very few people would challenge a four star admiral, as he knew, and John managed to get into the room without argument, at least until a doctor came in._

 _"Admiral."_

 _"Doctor," John quickly looked at the name tag. "Collins, this is my son."_

 _More medical staff arrived, with a great deal of equipment and the doctor gave him a hard look. "We're looking at both a penetrating injury and a blast injury. He's reasonably stable, but that could change in a hurry. If I tell you to move, you move. Understood?"_

 _John swallowed hard. He hadn't realized Tim had been close enough to the bomb to have those kind of injuries. "Understood. Thank you."_

-NCIS-

"Hey, Dad."

Speak of the devil. "Timothy, this is a surprise. I thought today was your sister's day."

"Yeah, well, she's still caught up in that meeting she had today, so you're stuck with me."

John bit his tongue and just nodded. "Good to see you. Case get solved?"

"Yeah." Tim hooked a chair with his foot and dragged it closer to the bed so he could sit down. "Made the arrests last night and when they saw that we'd cracked the encryption on their files, most of them folded pretty quick – trying to get the jump on a plea deal."

By now John knew that 'we'd cracked the encryption' actually meant that Tim had cracked it and explained it to the rest of the team, but he also knew that his son would shut down if he mentioned it. "So, who got the plea?"

"Nobody. We have their records, their drugs, the vehicle they used to run down their victim and DNA to connect all three of them. They killed the child of a Marine; Gibbs wasn't going to let any of them take the easy way out. None of us were."

"Fair enough." John had been on the receiving end of Gibbs' intensity and could imagine how quickly a low-life would crumble. "So, paperwork day?"

"I finished mine earlier this morning, so I would be on cold cases until the rest of the team closes out their files. Tim grinned at his father. "Instead, I took a half day of comp time since we worked twelve days straight."

"And rather than enjoying the day, you're stuck in here with me."

Tim sighed and bent forward, leaning his arms against the bed rail. "Dad, we've talked about this."

John took a moment to find the controls and raise the bed so he could look directly at Tim. "Yes, we have, but we both know I'm not going to beat this. All the doctors are doing is delaying the inevitable."

"Sarah said they talked about another round of radiation. Then you could be treated as an outpatient again."

This time it was John's turn to sigh. His kids meant well, but neither one of them would understand this, not until they were on the receiving end which, God willing, would never happen. "And another few months added onto my life would give us what?"

"A chance to meet your first grandchild."

"What?" John stared at him as the words sunk in. "You and Delilah?"

"I guess we weren't as careful as I thought we were when I visited her." John recognized the look on his face, one he'd seen so often during Tim's childhood. _Don't be mad at me, Daddy._ He wasn't going to have many more chances to fix things, so John was mindful as he made sure to smile.

"Your mother and I were actually married a year less than what you think."

Tim frowned at that, but John could see the gears turning before his eyes widened. "Mom was already pregnant with me when you guys got married?"

"Let's just say we really celebrated when I managed to pass my last class in Chinese languages." For good measure, he waggled his eyebrows, making this the dirtiest conversation he'd ever had with his son.

"So, when did you guys actually get married?"

"Same day I graduated from Annapolis. Graduation was at 1100, grabbed a random cover and was in front of a Navy Chaplin by 1400."

"You regret it?"

The question didn't shock him as much as he thought it would. "No, I don't. I screwed up a lot of things over the years. Being here," he waved his hands around the small room in the Oncology wing of Bethesda, "gives one a unique perspective on his life. I can't claim much about the man you turned out to be. Others did a better job at that, but I can claim the biology that made you."

It was as close to an apology as John had ever given for the absences in his son's life and the twisted way he'd tried to make up for it on his rare times at home. Neither man seemed to know where to go from there, so John changed the subject back. "Tell me about my grandchild. When's he due?"

"I'm, I'm not sure." Tim pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it before handing it to John. "I haven't gotten to talk to her yet."

John felt his eyebrow climb as he tried to figure out the time difference between here and Dubai, but then he had the paper in his hand and was looking at a printed image of the ultrasound. They didn't have these when Timothy was on the way and were only used for high risk cases when they were expecting Sarah, but he'd seen a few over the years – mostly when his contemporaries were bragging about their grandchildren.

He was pretty sure which end was the head – well, maybe – but that was about it. A line had been added across the body, an x at each end, which he assumed was some sort of measurement. His nurse came back in, so he held up the picture.

"My grandchild."

-NCIS-

After years of floating between departments, Keri Ann Simmons had found her place in oncology. It was hard, don't get her wrong, but helping families through such a difficult time was rewarding in a way that no other specialty had been. Admiral McGee had been a perfect example. Hard core and strictly by the book, she'd watched as little by little he'd loosened up and let his children into his life.

There were still times where things were rocky, so she tried to find reasons to pop into the room once in a while. This time it was easy, it was time to check the Admiral's vital signs. He was smiling, that was a first.

"My grandchild."

Returning the smile, she took the paper he was holding out and smiled at the black and white image. "How exciting. This is something to really look forward to. Mid-Winter baby?"

The younger McGee looked confused for a moment. "Maybe, I was guessing closer to Spring." Embarrassment flashed across his face. "She's stationed overseas and..."

"You were so excited about becoming a dad that you forgot to ask?"

"Yeah, something like that."

She handed the picture to the new father-to-be while she got to work, wrapping the blood pressure cuff around Grandpa's arm. She knew she was skirting dangerously close to a violation of HIPAA laws but the mother wasn't her patient and the information was clearly printed on the bottom of the image. "That line across the baby's body is how they confirm gestational age. If you check the dates, I bet you can figure it out." She fell silent as she listened to the stethoscope, then checked the Admiral's pulse as the two men bent close to read the numbers. They were still staring at the picture when she finished. "Don't forget to add in the two weeks, since they count from Mom's last menstrual cycle." Pleased to see them focused on something positive instead of the cancer, she slipped out of the room.

-NCIS-

Looking at the dates of the ultrasound and the age of the baby, John quickly added things up in his head. The nurse was right, junior would be arriving sometime in January, probably close to the end of the fourth week, maybe even the beginning of February. "So, why were you thinking Spring?"

"Because my two week vacation in Dubai was in July. The sixteenth through the thirtieth, to be precise."

John quickly ran the number through his head again, but the cancer hadn't scrambled his brains that much. He looked up to see the devastation on his son's face. "Tim?"

Tim was already shoving the paper back into his jacket pocket. "I, umm, I gotta go, Dad."

"Tim." Luckily, Tim was on the same side as the IV, so John was able to grab his closest hand and still reach across with his untethered arm in an awkward hug. It was the first time he'd actually hugged his own son since Timothy was a small child, but he filed that guilt away for later. "I'm so sorry, son. What are you going to do?"

"Call her. Guess now it makes sense why she sent an email instead of telling me over a video call. She's not good at lying directly to my face."

"Had you two ever talked about having a family?"

"Yeah, sort of. Well, she knew how much I wanted kids someday. She was the one with doubts, so we never talked about actually starting a family. It was just way off in the someday range. I'll see you later, okay?"

John wasn't quite sure how Tim had slipped out of his arms, but he was gone before John could say anything else, even if he'd known what to say. He hated the idea of his son going through that call and the aftermath alone, but he was stuck here for the next few hours at least – longer if he were honest about how bad the nausea would be. Of course, even if he could drag himself out of the bed, would Tim accept that level of comfort from him? Their relationship had improved, there was no doubt, but he sensed that they were still a long ways away from Tim opening up to him at that level no matter how much he needed a father right now.

Sinking back onto the bed, John's thoughts traveled back once again to the night of the Navy Yard bombing. He'd been forced to wait while Timothy underwent an MRI, and then again when he was taken into surgery to remove the piece of glass. He'd never had to wait like that before; for the first time he'd understood how hard things had been for his wife while he'd been in combat zones.

 _"Well?"_

 _"We were able to remove the glass and he's being moved into recovery."_

 _"So, he'll be all right?"_

 _"Eventually. It did puncture the wall of his stomach, so he'll have to be careful for a few weeks. No spicy food for a month or so, probably. I'll have one of the nurses come get you as soon as he's settled into a room."_

 _"Thank you, doctor."_

 _Tim looked pale when John finally got to see him. It seemed strange to see him like this and John didn't quite know what to do. Eventually he bent down and brushed his hand across Tim's forehead._

 _"B'ss?"_

 _"No, Tim, it's Dad."_

 _"Why r'here? Wh'rs Gibbs?"_

That hurt, he had to admit, but it told him just how important Gibbs was to his son, filling in as a father figure when John, himself, had been too wrapped up in his own views of Tim's life to be anything more than a source of pain. Decision made, he picked up his phone from the nightstand, talking as soon as the call was picked up on the other end.

"Gibbs, I need to talk to you right away. It's about Timothy. He's – he needs a dad and I can't be there for him."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Thank you all for the welcome back and the wonderful comments. I'm getting ready to leave for work, but I will probably post chapter 3 tonight if I get home in time. Enjoy.**

* * *

Paperwork days, they were never fun. McGee had barreled right through his reports, then asked for a half day. They were still sporting bruises from their trip to Russia and Gibbs couldn't begrudge the man a day of rest since he'd gotten completely caught up on his paperwork. Bishop and DiNozzo were still slogging through theirs, tossing movie titles and quotes at each other as they worked.

Gibbs was about to give them a quote of his own when his phone rang. He was surprised at the name on the caller ID, even more surprised when the Admiral didn't even let him speak.

 _Gibbs, I need to talk to you right away. It's about Timothy. He's – he needs a dad and I can't be there for him._

"What's happened?"

 _Not over the phone. I'm in the middle of chemo and – he shouldn't have to face this on his own._

Face what? The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Gibbs was on his feet. He'd get the answer directly. "I'm on my way." Closing the phone, he pinned Tony with a look before he could stand. "You and Bishop keep working on your reports."

"Boss, do you need -"

"No." Whatever it was that the Admiral wanted, it was father to father, which did not mean the rest of the family, either team or blood. "I'll be back when I can."

-NCIS-

With a sense of dread, Tim sat down at his home computer and placed the call. It took a while, but eventually Delilah responded to the call. She looked nervous and an hour ago he would have rushed to reassure her. Now he knew he had a sorrowful expression and she gave a nervous smile.

"Hey, Tim."

"Hey, Delilah. So, July visit, Spring baby?"

"Yeah, something like that." She was biting her lip, but he could see the guilt in her eyes.

"Okay, that gives me just one question to ask." She straightened up and smiled, obviously expecting him to pop the question. The question he wanted answered, however, had nothing to do with a diamond ring. "When the baby arrives in January, how were you going to explain it?"

She froze on the screen and he held up the printed picture of the ultrasound. "Piece of advice, Delilah. If you're going to try and trick someone into believing they're the father of your baby, make sure to cut off the gestational age and estimated due dates that are printed across the bottom of the picture before you scan it."

"Oh, God." Delilah closed her eyes and started to cry. "I'm sorry. I..."

"You what, Delilah? Thought I was too dumb to notice? Too much of a sucker to say anything?"

She didn't have an answer, not that he expected her to at that moment. "You knew you were pregnant before I even got to Dubai, didn't you?"

Her eyes were still closed and she just nodded, tears dripping down her cheeks as he continued to speak. "You couldn't keep your hands off of me. I thought it was because you were so happy to see me, but actually you just wanted things to be so wild and passionate that I'd just think we'd forgotten protection. Am I right?"

"I'm sorry."

"Who is he?"

At first he thought she wasn't going to answer. Finally she sighed and opened her eyes to look at him. "We work together."

"How long have you been sleeping with him."

She winced at the question, but she seemed resigned to answering. "Six, maybe seven years. Off and on, as we'd cross paths."

That he wasn't expecting. Feeling a pain across his chest, Tim stood and started pacing. "Years? Years, Delilah? So if you have such a history with this guy, why ever bother with me?"

She was looking off to the side, looking even guiltier than before and he knew. "Hell, he's married, isn't he?" Another closed eyes nod had him seeing red. "You're his damned mistress."

Crossing his arms and trying to channel Gibbs, he waited for an answer.

-NCIS-

The more he thought about it, the more his gut was pinging and Gibbs was walking at a quick pace, even for him, by the time he got to the oncology department. A quick stop at the nurse's station got him a room number and told him that he was expected.

When he walked into the room John look worried, which didn't help the gut at all. "What happened?"

"Thank God you're here." John closed his eyes for a moment and paled before forcing himself to continue. "Delilah sent him an ultrasound picture."

Gibbs had thought of a lot of scenarios on the drive. That wasn't one of them. "She's pregnant?"

"Yes, but while he was here one of the nurses explained the numbers on the bottom and side of the picture, told him how to figure out the baby's due date."

"Shit." Gibbs had a sick idea of what was wrong. "It's not his, is it?"

"No, and the look on his face when he realized it, Gibbs." The Admiral seemed to collapse into himself as he fell back onto the pillows. Gibbs stood and awkwardly patted his leg.

"It's okay. I'll find him, make sure he's okay."

John was obviously losing the battle with his nausea and Gibbs made sure there was a basin within his reach before slipping out to give him some privacy.

His first order of business was to find McGee. He was a private man, not one to drown his sorrows in public so he'd try his apartment first. Having Abby ping his cell phone would be a last resort and Gibbs was pretty confident he'd find the young man in his home, probably working up the courage to call Delilah and confront her – or researching, trying to find out the truth some other way. Either way, it wasn't going to be a quick fix and Gibbs pulled out his phone as he walked to his car.

 _Hey, Boss._

"DiNozzo, I won't be back in. Finish the reports and leave them on my desk, then work cold cases until the end of the day."

 _Boss, what's going on?_

"I'll see you tomorrow, DiNozzo." Not allowing any further questions, he closed his phone and started the car.

-NCIS-

Traffic was surprisingly light between Bethesda and Silver Spring and Gibbs found himself pulling into the apartment parking lot less than twenty minutes later. He parked in the first guest spot he found and quickly went to McGee's apartment door. Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door opened and McGee rushed out, almost colliding with him.

"Whoa, McGee, where's the fire?" McGee had managed to sidestep him, but stumbled and Gibbs caught his arm, holding on until he'd regained his balance.

"Sorry, Boss, I've got an appointment."

"Yeah? With who?"

"A real estate agent and she's probably waiting for me." McGee tried to move past him, but Gibbs didn't let go.

"You think you should be making decisions like that under the circumstances?"

Tim stared at him for a moment, then understanding shone on his face before he dropped his head. "You talked to my dad."

"Yeah, and he's pretty worried about you."

"I'm fine. Yeah, it hurts. It hurts like hell, but better to know now, right?" Tim's voice broke and he shook his head. "Instead of a couple of years down the road when Delilah doesn't need to pretend anymore and..."

Seemingly flustered, Tim pinched the bridge of his nose before straightening up. "But I'm going to be late if I don't get moving."

"Most men go for bourbon, not real estate, when things fall apart. You sure this is a good idea?" When Tim didn't look like he was going to back down, Gibbs turned toward the parking lot. "Fine. I'll drive, you explain on the way."

-NCIS-

Once Gibbs had the address and was on the road, he was ready for answers. "Okay, talk."

"Months ago, heck, almost a year ago, back before the attack on the Gala, I was looking at buying a house. I found a house that I really fell in love with and I made an offer."

Granted, it had been many years since Gibbs had been in the market for property, but that was way too long for a sale to be pending. "Okay, what happened?"

"It was a short sale, then the owners were getting a divorce and there were some legal issues so the courts had the property tied up. Then I found out that Delilah hated the place, so I didn't push and eventually quit looking."

"So, you broke it off with her and ten minutes later, you're back in the market?"

"No, after her telling me that she's had a married boyfriend since before I ever met her, I got a call from my real estate agent that my dream house is now clear of the courts and my offer is still active if I want it. Property values have gone back up, but they can't raise the asking price when there's a pending offer."

"Can't they just reject the offer?"

"It's a full price offer and I'm already pre-approved for the mortgage. Before the court got involved, they'd tentatively approved it and were just waiting for the papers to be drawn up. Now I've got three days to make a final decision and sign the papers."

"You can buy at the original price, but what happens if you don't buy it?"

"Then they can pull it off the market for a day and re-list it at the new value."

Gibbs could see why McGee would want to jump on it, even if the timing wasn't great. "How much of an increase in price could they get?"

"Hundred thousand at least, probably closer to one twenty, one fifty."

It was a good thing they were at a stop light as Gibbs stared at him. "Over a one hundred thousand dollars increase?"

"Yeah. Talk about instant equity."

The light turned green and they were moving again. Gibbs still had one major concern. Not a day went by that the news didn't talk about the declining condition of the hundreds of abandoned and repossessed homes in the area, which Gibbs didn't find particularly encouraging. "Tim, just because it looked good back in what – January – that is no guarantee that the place is more than a burned out shell now."

"I know, and that's why I insisted on a new inspection before I gave them my answer. That's also why I'm in a today hurry, because I wanted the same guy to do the new inspection and the inspector only had one opening today." Tim's head rolled to look at him. "I might be stupid about women, but not about everything."

"Hey." Gibbs thumped his fist on Tim's knee. "You're not stupid. Not about anything. You trusted the wrong woman; it happens to the best of us. Anybody that knows you knows you put everything into your relationship. If she was too stupid to see that, it's her loss."

That got a ghost of a smile, but under the circumstances Gibbs would take it. "Thanks, Boss."

They were in a residential area now and Gibbs looked around as they drove. It was actually a fairly nice neighborhood, newer than his, with well-kept houses and neat yards. They turned a corner and an older pick-up truck was pulling to the curb from the opposite direction. Judging from the ladders strapped to the rack, that was the inspector they were meeting and Tim pointed to the truck.

"Perfect timing. There's the inspector, name's Charlie Johnson. He's been a real estate inspector for ten years after working construction for thirty."

Of course McGee would have run a background check. Probably ran one on his real estate agent, too. Gibbs parked, trying to figure out which house they were looking at. None of them had a sign in front or even looked abandoned.

Once they were out of the car and introductions were made, a third man walked out of one of the houses and came over to join them. For a moment Gibbs assumed that this was McGee's real estate agent, then he noticed that the man was wearing slippers. Whoever he was, he had his hand out and Tim seemed to recognize him.

"McGee, right? Carl Mason, we talked when you were first looking at the house."

"Yes, I remember. This is my boss, Jethro Gibbs, and you probably also remember Charlie Johnson."

Handshakes all around and Carl seemed quite happy to see them there as he quickly explained. "I saw the realtor here this morning, now you're here with a property inspector. Does that mean the courts have finally released the house?"

"They sure have."

"Ah, that's good. My son is leaving for college in a few days, so I'm ready to end the deal but I don't want the place to go downhill either."

Lost, Gibbs just stared at McGee, knowing he'd get an answer out of him eventually.

"Mr. Mason's been keeping an eye on the place and paying the utilities in exchange for use of the pool for his son."

Carl puffed up at the mention of his son. "My boy got a full ride swimming scholarship to college."

The pride was understandable, but Gibbs was more focused on something else. "Pool?"

"Pool." The smile on McGee's face was the first one Gibbs had seen today. "Hot tub, too."

Gibbs finally figured out which house they had to be talking about and took in every detail as they walked up the driveway. All the homes on this street were mid-century modern, but this one had been updated and now leaned more towards contemporary, what little he could see. The house was set back from the street, a steel and frosted glass fence connecting it to the boxy garage. Charlie had a set of keys in his hand and unlocked the gate to let them in.

They were in a very private courtyard, surrounded by the L-shaped house, the back of the garage and two sections of the high-end fence. The house was two stories and mostly glass on the sides that faced the courtyard, giving most of the rooms a beautiful view of the swimming pool and attached hot tub.

"You can afford this?" The question popped out before it even registered, but McGee didn't seem offended by it.

"I can if we can close in time that they have to abide by the original agreement."

Gibbs nodded slowly as he looked around. If he'd been in McGee's position with this house, he'd be trying to cram the sale through, too. The fact that it was giving the younger man something to focus on instead of Delilah's lies and attempt to trick him, well, all the better.

Carl gave them a brief run-down on the pool system, showing them the pumps and filters, pointing out how recently the filters had been serviced. It was a newer system, designed for minimal maintenance, the same with the hot tub. Apparently Carl's son didn't think the tub got hot enough so Charlie pulled out his testing equipment and quickly found a bad circuit.

"It'll probably run you about five hundred to replace the whole board, or you could wire in a new circuit for about twenty-five bucks if you know someone handy with electronics."

Tim was leaning over Charlie's shoulder and nodding. "Yeah, that's an easy repair."

"Hello." They all turned at the feminine voice as a professionally dressed woman came through the gate. "Good, you already got started."

"You made good time." Tim tilted his head toward Gibbs, who stepped closer. "Boss, this is my real estate agent, Susan Townsend. Susan, this is my boss, Special Agent Jethro Gibbs."

She smiled and shook his hand. "Ah, the infamous Agent Gibbs. If even half the stories are true, I'm very impressed."

Gibbs returned the smile before looking over at McGee, who just shrugged.

Everyone there, the inspection resumed. On the back of the garage was a staircase, leading from the courtyard up to a rooftop deck above the two car garage. It was a nice size up there, with the walls continuing up several feet to create a solid half-wall surrounding the deck, making it very safe. Gibbs and Charlie poked around carefully and the only potential problem was a partially blocked drain. Again, an easy fix and Gibbs started his own list of repairs. No need for McGee to hire out more than was absolutely necessary. Looking around, it was easy to imagine some deck chairs in one corner and a BBQ in another. Sure enough, there was an electrical outlet in that corner and it tested fine. McGee and Susan started measuring for a possible outdoor kitchen up there instead of just a BBQ.

By the top of the stairs was a light switch that Gibbs hadn't noticed earlier that turned on a series of low level lights around the edge of the deck. Two of the lights were burned out and Susan suggested that they all be replaced with LED lights for energy savings so that went on Gibbs' list also.

Gibbs and Charlie returned downstairs and continued the outside inspection with Carl pointing out what he had done over all the months the house had stood empty. Once they'd finished in the front, Carl shook their hands and left to return home. Circling around, Gibbs was surprised to find window wells along the back side of the house. "There's a basement?"

"Yep." Charlie glanced at the file from the last time he'd inspected the house. "Owners were finishing the basement when they ran into financial trouble and lost the house. All the major work is already done and everything passed a county inspection. And the best part," Charlie looked at Gibbs with a sly grin, "they picked out a pool table that was so big that they had to install it before they put up the walls."

"It's still there?"

"Sure is. Couple of weekends of finish work, some pool cues and he'll be set to party down there."

Gibbs had already decided that anything short of a bomb blast inside the house would be an acceptable amount of damage and worth fixing. However, once Susan let them inside, he was pleasantly surprised once again. "This place is livable. Really livable."

"Not all foreclosures get trashed, Agent Gibbs." Susan Townsend looked very pleased. "It was very beneficial for everyone involved to make sure the house was maintained until it could be sold."

They were standing in what would be the combined living room and dining room, a big area almost thirty feet long that made up a large part of the long side of the L shape of the house. From there was a very modern kitchen with stainless appliances, ebony cabinets and bright white counter tops. One door inside the kitchen led to what Gibbs found to be a large pantry and just past the kitchen was the downstairs bathroom, small but efficient.

Around the corner, in the short side of the L, was a spacious family room. There were power outlets in the ceiling and Gibbs realized that this wasn't just a family room, but was, in fact, a media room. Gibbs pointed up at the outlet. "That mean you're going to be hosting movie nights?"

"I think that can be arranged."

Gibbs just shook his head and imagined how the rest of the team would respond to McGee's new house. At least he wouldn't be alone, wallowing in self-pity. Not when the team found out about the pool, the hot tub, the media room and the rec room downstairs. Of course, putting them to work would make the repairs even quicker. "All right, Tom Sawyer, let's see how much work it's going to take."

Judging from the grin, McGee knew exactly what he meant. A thorough inspection of the main floor only turned up a loose piece of molding and a noisy garbage disposal. The large windows overlooking the courtyard were actually folding glass doors and a few of them didn't move easily because of dirt and grit in the tracks. Cleaning out the tracks would probably be the most time consuming part of the repairs – at least so far.

"Top floor or basement next, Boss?"

Gibbs knew the basement was only partially finished and that would be the most challenging part of the house. "Top floor."

The stairs were open and Gibbs was impressed with how detailed of an inspection Charlie was making, checking back on his original report and noting anything that was different.

Directly above the media room was the master bedroom. It wasn't overly huge, but the large balcony overlooking the pool and hot tub certainly made it feel that way. The adjoining bathroom was quite luxurious with both a jetted tub and a separate shower and the walk in closet was larger than anything Gibbs had ever had. The water up here was a little rusty, but seemed to be clearing as it ran.

Bedrooms two and three were separated by the laundry room, while another bathroom filled the space between bedrooms three and four. That, combined with the unfinished bedrooms downstairs – "What are you going to do with all these bedrooms, McGee? You're going to need a lot more furniture."

Tim shrugged as he opened and closed the closet door in bedroom four. It didn't move freely and Gibbs added it to his list. "I don't need to furnish all the bedrooms. If the team is here often enough that they want their own bedrooms, they can furnish them themselves."

Gibbs barked out a laugh. "Works for me. Do I get first pick?"

"Well, you are here."

He had no designs on a particular bedroom so Gibbs just laid his claim on the least finished bedroom in the basement. Two more were down there that were ready for trim along with a roughed in bathroom, all along the longer side of the house. Directly under the media room and kitchen was a large rec room and bar area, divided by the stairs. As Charlie had said, a large, high-end pool table was there, protected by a tarp. A ping-pong table was also there and was being used to stack the already cut moldings.

Tour finished, Gibbs looked at McGee, eyebrow raised. After years of working under him, the unspoken answer was understood and he turned to his real estate agent.

"I still want the house. Let's sign the final papers."


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n - heading out the door again for an extra shift at work. Enjoy.**

* * *

"Congratulations, Mr. McGee, you're a homeowner."

Tim felt a little thrill at her words. It would still take a week for escrow to close, but for all intents and purposes, it was a done deal. "Thanks, Susan. I really appreciate everything you've done."

"My pleasure. Now, if we're done here, I'll lock up and get those papers to the escrow office so they can get started on the title."

They watched as she locked up the house, then the gate. Tim realized that those keys would be in his hand, probably by next weekend, and he couldn't stop grinning. Gibbs clapped him on the back and turned him toward the car. "All right, McGee, let's pick up a couple of steaks and celebrate."

"Thanks, Boss."

-NCIS-

The potatoes were in the oven and Gibbs poked at the fire. It needed to burn down a few more minutes before he put the steaks on, so he sat back and pulled out his list. After a quick review, he circled the items that needed to be taken care of first, underlining the ones that could be dealt with as McGee moved in.

"If you close on Friday, we can start on Saturday, assuming that we don't catch a case. Even if we do catch a case, we should be able to manage an hour or two here and there. As long as we get these things done before the team is there to help you move in, the rest will be easy." He tapped his pen against the items he'd circled and Tim took his own pen and added one more circle.

"Hot tub better be fully functional before I ask Tony and Jimmy to spend a day lugging furniture around."

"Good point." Gibbs grinned at that and made a mental note to pick up a new swim suit for himself. The coals on the fire looked about ready, but before he could stand McGee's phone chimed. It wasn't his regular ring tone, but the look on his face told Gibbs who was on the other end. "I can go work in the basement for a while, McGee."

"No, stay. Please."

Seeing the slightly panicked expression, Gibbs sat back down, shifting so that he wouldn't be picked up by the phone's camera, but could see what was happening and more importantly, could rest a hand on Tim's knee for moral support. Tim took a deep breath and took the video call.

"Delilah."

 _Tim, I wasn't sure if you were going to answer or not._

"Neither was I. We said pretty much everything earlier."

 _I can't be pregnant and single in Dubai, Tim. As soon as my bosses find out, they'll send me back to DC._

"Not sure why you're telling me this, Delilah."

 _Let's still get married, Tim. You would have asked me, I know it._

"You mean back when I still trusted you and thought you loved me? Oh, and when I thought you were faithful to me and that you were carrying my child?"

Gibbs was glad and proud to see him stand up for himself. Not even Diane would have had enough balls to be asking for something like this.

 _I do love you, Tim._

"But not enough to give up the boyfriend, right? Not enough to be honest with me. Not enough to actually commit to me. No, you just want to take my name to give you cover while you do whatever you want to do. Not happening, Delilah. In case you didn't figure it out when you cheated on me, got yourself pregnant and then lied and tried to trick me into believing the baby was mine – we're done. Totally and absolutely done. Don't call me again." He ended the call, tossing the phone on the table as he slumped on the sofa.

Gibbs moved closer, joining him on the sofa and rubbing his back. "You did the right thing, Tim."

"Then why do I feel so lousy about it?"

"Because you're a good man and you loved her."

"It's..." Tim paused and turned to look at Gibbs. "It's like she wanted to be caught, Boss. I mean, how easy would it have been to just cut off the dates on the bottom of the picture?"

"Guilt's a funny thing, Tim. It can really twist people up inside. How many times have we seen a suspect that wanted to get caught?"

"Damn it." Jumping to his feet, he started to pace around the room. Gibbs was glad to see the anger finally come. "She wasn't some suspect, she was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. How could she just throw that away? I mean, she can't even claim that Dubai was lonely. She's been hooking up with him for years. A seven year affair with a married man, what kind of marriage did she think we were going to have if she thought so little of the vows?"

McGee finally stopped to stare out the window. "How many guys would have bailed when she got hurt? Everything that happened, it was hard, Boss."

Gibbs nodded slowly as Tim turned back to look at him, needing reassurance. "Nobody could have done more. None of this is your fault, Tim, and you don't owe her anything. Now, come sit down and have a beer while I put on the steaks." He patted the sofa, pleased when McGee did as he was told.

"Not sure I can eat."

"Eat what you can and I'll fix the rest with some eggs for breakfast." Decent meal, get him drunk and then pour him into bed. It was Gibbs' go-to solution and the rest they'd deal with in the morning. Speaking of which – "What do you want to tell the rest of the team?"

Tim shook his head, stubbornness kicking in. "Nothing." Gibbs just looked at him and eventually he shrugged. "Just that it's over. Nobody else needs the details."

Gibbs could respect that even if he didn't think it was going to be that easy. Patting McGee's knee, he stood to get the steaks. "Fair enough. I'll throw the steaks on the fire and you figure out how you want that rec room finished. I'm looking forward to teaching DiNozzo a few lessons about playing pool."

-NCIS-

As planned, after getting most of a steak and half a potato down McGee, along with three bottles of beer, the younger man was starting to sag. Gibbs took the empty bottle from his hand before it could slip out of his fingers. "Come on, McGee, let's get you upstairs while you're still mobile."

Tim didn't answer, but he didn't fight when Gibbs hauled him to his feet. Luckily, he was a pliable drunk and Gibbs got him up the stairs fairly easily. He sat Tim on the bed and helped him take off his shoes, hoping that he could manage the rest. When he looked up, Tim was blinking back tears.

"My dad wanted to stop the chemo, asked what a few more months was going to give him. I told him a chance to meet his first grandchild. He was happy, Boss. He was smiling and showing off the ultrasound, and it was all a lie. How could she do that to him?"

Some questions would never have an answer so Gibbs settled for helping McGee strip down. Once he was down to boxers and a t-shirt, Gibbs tipped him over and lifted his legs onto the mattress. Tucking him in, Gibbs tenderly pressed his hand against Tim's head and watched as the alcohol pulled him under. It took a while, but when he was satisfied that McGee was down for the count, he headed for the basement, pulling his phone out as he went.

-NCIS-

It was pitch black outside and the worst of the nausea had finally passed – enough for him to satisfy the nursing staff by choking down a few swallows of broth. He'd refused every offer of a sleeping pill, determined to be alert enough to answer a call if it came. He wanted to know, needed to know, that Tim was all right, but he didn't want to interfere. Especially if Tim really was opening up to the other man, something that would probably never happen between Tim and John.

He knew he didn't have enough time left to fix that mess. A lifetime of broken promises and unrealistic expectations couldn't be overcome in weeks or months, no matter how forgiving his son was. Gibbs had opened his eyes and now he was the one person he trusted with his son, but waiting was so very hard.

Staring at his phone, it took a few seconds to realize that the ringing was real and not a product of his wishful thinking. Once that happened, he quickly grabbed it.

"Yes?"

 _John, it's Jethro. He's at my place._

He felt a wave of relief wash through him. "Is he alright?" There was just a momentary hesitation.

 _Yeah. He's hurting, but he's handling it. Already trying to move forward._

"Good." John thought about how easily his son took the blame for others' failings, a trait he might have been partially responsible for. "Tim's not letting her guilt him into anything, is he?"

 _No. She tried, but he wouldn't have any part of it._

John knew he wouldn't get any details out of Gibbs, but that was enough information that he could relax, at least for tonight. Gibbs seemed to understand what his son needed and that would have to be enough.

 _If we don't catch a case tomorrow, I'll send him your way for lunch._

And maybe Gibbs understood what a father needed, too. "Thanks, Gibbs, I owe you one."

 _Nah, you don't. Goodnight, John._

"Goodnight, Jethro, and thank you."


	4. Chapter 4

A clean shirt, dark blue with a European cut was hanging in the bedroom when the smell of frying meat and eggs woke Tim. Wondering where it came from, he stumbled to the bathroom to find not only a clean towel waiting for him, but his usual toiletries were on the counter. Feeling more like himself, he jumped in the shower and started his morning routine. Dressed, he headed downstairs.

"Good morning." Gibbs used the spatula to point at the bottle of Tylenol sitting next to the coffee maker and Tim gave a slight grunt as he went straight for the bottle. Three beers wasn't enough to give him a hangover, but it did give him a nasty headache that a hot shower hadn't cleared.

"Thanks, Boss." After downing two tablets and most of a cup of coffee he looked around. "Do you know where my phone went?"

The spatula was now being used to dish up breakfast so Gibbs pointed with his elbow and Tim found his phone on the bookcase, plugged into a charger and ready for him. He wasn't sure where Gibbs had come up with an I-phone charger, probably the same place he'd come up with a fresh shirt in the style Tim favored. Abby always said the man was magic and sometimes Tim actually believed it. "Thanks, Boss."

Fully charged phone in hand, Tim joined Gibbs at the table, checking his messages which eliminated his good mood. Five text messages, two voice mails and a video message, all from Delilah. He was still staring at his phone when Gibbs nudged him. "It's up to you. Do you really want to hear what else she has to say?"

If he'd been alone, he'd have probably buckled and gone through every message no matter how much it hurt him. Instead, he deleted all of them without opening them, then blocked her number. "No, I don't." To prove his point that he was going to be fine, Tim dug into his food.

-NCIS-

"You're here early." Hoping to be the first one in, Ellie stopped and stared at Tony who was engrossed in his work already. He looked up, apparently as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

"Yeah, gotta finish this report before the Boss gets here. Otherwise, he's going to have my hide. Let me guess, you too?"

Blushing, Ellie shrugged as she set her bag down on her desk. "Jake got home last night so I didn't want to stay late and finish."

That got Tony up and on his feet. "Oh, yeah? So did he bring you back anything nice from his trip?"

"As a matter of fact, he did." Smiling, Ellie took out a handcrafted glass paperweight and showed him. It filled her hands and was quite heavy. Inside the clear glass ball was a delicate looking butterfly made of swirls of colored glass. Tony didn't seem as impressed as she'd hoped.

"A paperweight?" He spent two weeks away from home and all he brought you back was a paperweight?"

She really didn't expect him to understand. "I collect paperweights and not only is this from a new, up and coming glass artist, it's a swallowtail butterfly. We saw one on our first date."

Tony made an abortive cheering motion. "Umm, go, Jake?"

"Yes, go, Jake. A girl likes to be reminded that the man she loves remembers little details. You should remember that, Tony. Just like Tim remembers that Delilah's favorite cartoon is Betty Boop. We were both there when he bought her that little ceramic Betty Boop last week." Still smiling, she set the paperweight on the corner of her desk where not only could she see it, but anyone walking by would see it, too.

-NCIS-

Betty Boop? So that weird little doll with the big eyes had an actual name. Now Tony was glad he'd kept his mouth shut when McGee bought the thing. He never understood why women were attracted to odd little things and was glad that Zoe was above all of that. At least he thought she was. Crap, had he missed some vital clue? Was there a window on those sorts of things?

He'd better figure it out because they had a date tonight. Flowers were safe. She liked flowers. Didn't she? Roses, he'd bought her roses before and she seemed to like them. At least she was very – appreciative – when they got back to her place that night.

Somebody mentioned a code once. Each color meant something different. Was it Ducky that talked about it, or maybe it was McGee? Abby? Whoever it was, it was someone that talked a lot. He did remember that. Somebody he tended to tune out eventually so it was probably McGee. Or Ducky. He was pretty sure if tuning out was involved, it wasn't Abby. One did not tune out the Mistress of the Dark, not if they wanted to keep all of their vital bits attached and functioning. Sidetracked, he was getting sidetracked. Zoe, roses – if he wanted to order them, he needed to get away from prying ears for a few minutes. Report finished, he sent it to the printer and jumped to his feet. Ellie looked at him strangely.

"I'm caught up, so I'm going for coffee. Back in a minute." Barely taking the time to pull the report off the printer and set it on Gibbs' desk, he dashed for the elevator.

-NCIS-

"Thanks, Boss, I appreciate your help with, well, everything."

Gibbs just gave a nod. Other than Ziva, he'd never referred to any of them as his kids directly to them, but he believed they knew. "Glad I could help, Tim. Now, if we don't catch a case, why don't you take an extra few minutes at lunch and go see your old man. Show him you're okay."

He waited, not breaking eye contact, until McGee finally nodded. He understood why the younger man was so timid about expecting anything from his father, so he just kept encouraging. "Good, he's worried about you."

Reminder said, he exited the car, McGee right behind him. After signing in, they came face to face with Tony.

"Hey, Boss. Hey, McGee. I'm on my way for coffee. Report's on your desk, Boss." All in one breath and he was out the door with McGee and Gibbs staring after him.

"What was that all about?"

Gibbs shook his head and watched for a minute more. "He's ordering flowers for his new girlfriend and doesn't want any of us to know about her yet." He enjoyed watching the surprise and wonder on McGee's face.

Upstairs, Ellie was typing and munching like mad. "Hey, Gibbs, Tony -"

"Went for coffee, I know. His report's on my desk, where's yours?"

Looking flustered, she stared at him for a second before punching at her keyboard. "Sending to the printer now, Gibbs."

Gibbs turned enough that she couldn't see the amusement on his face. "Good. Nice paperweight, Bishop. Jake bring it back from New Mexico?" He looked back to see the stunned look on her face as her mouth hung open. Yeah, some days it was good to be boss. He sat down at his desk and started reading DiNozzo's report, hiding his grin behind the folder when he heard Bishop talking to McGee.

"How does he do that?"

"Abby says he's magic."

"Magic?"

Gibbs didn't have to look to 'see' the enthusiastic nodding of McGee's head. Yep, definitely good to be boss.

-NCIS-

A mix of coral and orange roses ordered, Tony walked back into the building, coffee in hand, just as an Army colonel was signing in.

"I'm Colonel Fielding and I'm here to see Agent Timothy McGee."

Tony took a second glance, he'd recognize those eyes anywhere, even on a different generation. "Colonel Fielding? Delilah's father?" He turned to Henry. "I'll take him up."

"Thanks, Agent DiNozzo. I'm kinda shorthanded here this morning."

Henry satisfied, Tony held the elevator open for the Colonel. "Tim didn't mention that you were coming by for a visit."

"No, I'm sure he didn't."

There was something in the Colonel's tone that caught Tony's attention, but before he could figure out the problem, they arrived on their floor and the Colonel quickly stepped off the elevator and Tony rushed to catch up. "Is there a problem, Sir?"

-NCIS-

Final reports now in his hand, Gibbs stood to go upstairs. "Cold cases, both of you. Let DiNozzo know when he gets back."

Half way up the stairs, movement caught his eye. Turning, Gibbs saw a dress uniform, heavy on the medals, heading directly for McGee. Tim seemed to recognize the man and quickly stood.

"Colonel Fielding."

Crap. Knowing how bad this could turn, Gibbs reversed direction, but he wasn't quick enough as Fielding picked up the paperweight off of Bishop's desk and swung at McGee.

Tony was only a few steps behind Fielding and managed to grab his arm before he could deliver a second blow but McGee went down hard and didn't move.

Gibbs wasn't gentle at all as he slammed Fielding against a desk and cuffed him. "You're under arrest, Fielding."

"Damn it, do you know what he did? Do you?"

"Yeah, and I also know what she did." Gibbs hauled Fielding upright and shoved him toward two of the agents that had arrived. "Put him in a holding cell. Nobody talks to him except me." Fielding contained, Gibbs circled around to where McGee was laying. Bishop was with him, already on the phone, summoning an ambulance, then Ducky.

Tony was staring at the scene. "Boss, what the – what did McGee do to Delilah?"

"Nothing." Not giving out any more information than that, he dropped down to check on McGee himself. He was moving now – slightly – but didn't seem aware of his surroundings. Gibbs gently tapped the uninjured side of his face. "McGee, you back with us yet?"

McGee groaned, then stilled. Gibbs quickly checked his pulse, relaxing slightly when he felt the steady thrum against his fingers. "You're going to be okay, kiddo."

Ducky and Palmer arrived at the same time as Vance so Gibbs stepped back to give Ducky room and update the Director, who'd already heard the basics.

"Gibbs, what is an Army officer doing attacking one of our agents?"

Tony spoke up before Gibbs could. "Not just any officer, Sir. That was Colonel Fielding."

"Fielding? As in Delilah? What in the hell did McGee do to piss off her old man like that?"

Gibbs groaned as the last possibility of keeping the situation private was dashed. "Let's talk about this in your office Leon." Behind them, Ducky stood and Gibbs turned back for a report. "He going to be okay, Duck?"

"He's drifting in and out of consciousness and I suspect a fracture of the zygomatic bone. A CAT scan will tell us how bad the damage is and if it will require surgery. Worst case, he could lose vision in that eye if it's not treated properly and quickly."

The elevator dinged and two paramedics rolled a stretcher out toward them. "Go to the hospital with him, I'll be right behind you."

"Well, of course, Jethro."

Vance stepped closer to Gibbs as the stretcher was rolled back to the elevator. "I at least need the short version before some four star general demands to know why I've got a colonel locked up in my brig."

Moving the discussion to Vance's office was going to take too much time. "My office?"

"Fine."

They had to wait a few moments until the elevator came back up. Tony slipped in with them at the last moment; Gibbs glared at him, but didn't say anything. As soon as the elevator started moving, Vance flipped the switch. "I try not to get involved in my agents' personal lives, but when things go this wrong, I don't have a choice, Gibbs."

Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose, hating the fact that he had no choice but to break a confidence. "Okay, but this goes no further than you and the team for the time being."

"For now."

It was as good as he was going to get. "How long ago did McGee go to Dubai to visit Delilah?"

DiNozzo was the one to answer. "Like eight, nine weeks ago."

"Yeah. Delilah's pregnant."

"So that was the Colonel's version of a shotgun wedding?"

Gibbs ignored Vance's question for the moment. "Problem is that the dates don't add up. She's closer to fifteen weeks."

Vance stared at him for a moment. "It's not his."

"Nope. He confronted her, she confessed. Next, she tried to guilt him and then bully him into marrying her so she wouldn't lose her position in Dubai."

"So, why doesn't she get the real baby daddy to marry her if she's so desperate?"

"Probably because he's already got a wife."

Tony had been quiet since Gibbs told about the pregnancy, but now he exploded. "What? She was having an affair with a married man and stringing McGee along?"

"Yep."

Vance thought about how the Colonel reacted. "So her next step was to go crying to Daddy? Trick him into putting pressure on McGee?"

"Maybe. Probably. Doesn't matter to me as far as the Colonel goes. He blindsided McGee without ever saying a word. He didn't come here to talk him into anything. When I get back from the hospital, we'll find out exactly what she thought she was doing."

"Gibbs."

He knew exactly what Vance was going to say. "Fielding can sit in holding for a few hours. I promised the Admiral that I would make sure Tim was all right."

"It wasn't your fault, Boss."

"His father asked me to look out for him, to make sure Delilah didn't hurt him any more than she already had. First time I step away from Tim, that lunatic cold-cocks him with a two pound chuck of glass. Just how do you think the Admiral is going to feel?"

"Shit."

"Yeah." Gibbs turned the elevator back on and looked at DiNozzo. "You and Bishop work this just like a case. I want to know exactly when she talked to her father. How many times. How long. Deep history on the Colonel. If he's got any kind of history of violence and she knew and provoked that kind of reaction..."

"Got it, Boss." They were on the first floor and Tony called out as Gibbs stepped off the elevator. "Keep us posted, okay?" Gibbs waved as he went out the main doors.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony was seething by the time he and Vance arrived back at the squad room and Vance gave him a careful look. "You going to be able to keep it together?"

"If it means nailing the lying b- yeah, I can keep it together."

"Good. Process the scene and take care of your other partner." Vance tilted his head toward Bishop, who was still sitting on the floor where McGee had fallen. Tony nodded in understanding and walked to her.

She was sitting behind McGee's desk, bloodied hands wrapped around her knees as she stared at the weapon Fielding had used. The bright blue butterfly had a purple tint from the smear of blood over the heavy glass and Tony couldn't imagine how she felt, but he knew it was even worse than he felt. "Hey, Bishop, let's stand up, okay?"

"He took it off my desk, Tony." Bishop looked up and sniffed. "I'm such an idiot."

He grasped her upper arms and lifted, grunting slightly as he did. "You want to talk about idiotic moves? I escorted the man up here."

"You couldn't have known, Tony. He seemed so normal when he walked in."

"Exactly. Sometimes even we get fooled. It sucks, but that's life."

"Is Tim going to be okay?"

"Yeah. Boss won't let him be anything else." A clomping could be heard coming closer. "We, on the other hand, have to face the Mistress of the Dark and explain how her favorite geek got hurt with us right here."

"We're in trouble, aren't we?"

"Oh, yeah."

-NCIS-

Ducky had insisted that McGee be taken to Bethesda where he knew the staff, and Gibbs found himself reaching for his phone several times as he drove there. It was only his belief that John deserved to hear this face to face that kept his phone in his pocket.

By the time he parked at Bethesda, McGee was inside being examined. Gibbs paced for a few minutes before Ducky came out to find him. Luckily, Gibbs had gotten him trained to not tell any long stories at a time like this. "X-rays have confirmed the fracture so they have taken him in for a MRI scan to get a better look at the damage. On the plus side, Timothy was becoming more responsive in the ambulance and recognized me."

Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief. "He was aware of his surroundings?"

"Yes, fully aware. The only thing he is confused about is what happened, why he was targeted."

"I've got an idea about that, but he's probably not going to like it."

Ducky gave him a careful look. "Very few things can cause such a passionate response in a father. Would I be correct in assuming that a wee one is on the way?"

"Yeah, but it's not McGee's." This was one of the rare times he'd managed to stun Ducky. Unfortunately, he couldn't enjoy the moment.

"That's... oh, my. Her father has apparently made some assumptions?"

"Not so sure about that, Duck. Even after she admitted it, she was still trying to convince him to pretend he was the father and marry her anyway. That if he loved her, he'd do it."

Ducky leaned close and lowered his voice. "Are you saying that her impregnation was not from a consensual encounter?"

In some ways that might have almost been easier. "She's been having an affair with a married man, been going on for years." Gibbs sighed and rubbed the sides of his face in frustration. "How long before he can have visitors? I've got to go upstairs and break the news to his father."

"The Admiral is having inpatient treatment?"

"Yeah, had chemo yesterday, I'm not sure how often they give it."

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that, Jethro. Every case is different. As far as Timothy's case, once they determine just how severe the fracture is and how much internal displacement there is, they may decide to stabilize it surgically. How quickly they operate will be determined by how stable he is and how soon a surgical suite is available. I believe they will operate as soon as possible to minimize the possibility of complications, but I am not his surgeon."

"All right, I'll go upstairs and check on the Admiral, see if he can even leave the floor. Call me if you find out anything else."

"Of course, Jethro."

-NCIS-

Tony was glad he'd had the presence of mind to take Abby and Ellie into a private conference room before he told them what he knew. Ellie was angry and Abby – Abby was madder than he'd ever seen her.

"How could they treat McGee like that, Tony? When I get my hands on that Colonel."

"Nope." Tony had to step in front of the door to stop her from storming down there right then. "He's Gibbs'. The Boss actually promised the Admiral he'd take care of Tim, so he gets first crack at that SOB."

"But we can watch, can't we?"

That got a nod from him. "Well, I certainly plan to. Might even bring popcorn."

Abby finally stopped pacing and Tony wrapped his arms around her, knowing what was coming next. Sure enough, a few seconds later, she started to tear up. "He hurt McGee, Tony."

"I know, Abs." Off to the side Bishop looked lost so Tony loosened one arm and brought her into the fold. "I know."

-NCIS-

Gibbs saw one of the nurses that had been on duty yesterday and walked up to her, pulling out his badge. "Hi, we spoke briefly yesterday. I'm Agent Gibbs."

Judging from her expression, she remembered. "Admiral McGee's son works for you."

"Yes. How is the Admiral today? Is it possible he can leave the floor for a while? His son is down in the ER."

"Oh! Certainly. I'll arrange for a wheelchair."

While she was on the phone, Gibbs continued on to the Admiral's hospital room.

John was sitting up, reading a report, when Gibbs knocked on the doorframe and stepped into the room. He pulled his glasses off and looked at Gibbs carefully. "Something happened, didn't it?"

"She didn't want to take no for an answer. He finally blocked her number, then her father showed up at the Yard this morning."

"The argument turn nasty?" John was very still as he watched Gibbs shake his head.

"Colonel Fielding didn't say a word. The man just walked up to Tim, picked up a paperweight and nailed him. Fielding's in custody; Tim is downstairs."

"Oh, God." John closed his eyes for a second. "How bad?"

"He regained consciousness in the ambulance and he's apparently lucid." Gibbs paused when John sagged in relief and waited until he made eye contact again before continuing, tapping right below the corner of his eye to show the area of damage. "Bone right there is broken, they're deciding right now if they need to set it surgically."

John was shoving his blankets out of the way and trying to stand. Gibbs stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder, which wasn't appreciated. "Damn it, Gibbs, I want to see my son."

"You will. They're bringing a wheelchair for you. No point in getting on your feet until it's here."

John's mouth snapped shut and he nodded. Gibbs could understand his frustration. Going from being one of the most powerful men in the Navy to one of dozens of cancer patients would be hard enough. Add in the stress over his son and Gibbs found it very easy to forgive the short temper. Having the nurse walk in at that moment with a wheelchair didn't hurt either.

"Here you go. Admiral McGee, sir." The tiny woman barely looked strong enough to move the chair, let alone get the Admiral moved. Sure enough, she stepped back. "An orderly will be along in a few minutes to help you transfer."

The Admiral didn't look happy at the delay and Gibbs didn't want to be away from the emergency department any longer than he had to so he found himself volunteering. "It's okay, I've got him."

Gibbs managed to not show his shock at how light and frail the man was when he helped him off the bed and into the wheelchair.

Dressed in a set of hospital scrubs, Ducky was waiting for them when they got downstairs. "Ah, there you are Jethro. Admiral McGee, it is good to see you again, although I do wish the circumstances were a bit better."

"Dr. Mallard, have you heard anything else about my son?"

"They are preparing him for surgery. Let me speak to his nurse and we'll get you in for a short visit before they take him into the operating room." Ducky went up to the desk and spoke briefly with the woman sitting behind the counter before he turned and waved them over.

Gibbs quickly wheeled the Admiral over before he could try to get there on his own. "Can we see him?"

"Yes, but just for a moment and I will warn you that he looks much worse than when he was first brought in."

John had no frame of reference, but Gibbs gave a nod. Of course the bruising would have darkened over the last few hours. A few moments later he was standing next to McGee's bed and realizing just what Ducky meant. That side of Tim's face was swollen to the point that he was virtually unrecognizable. So swollen, in fact, that the expected bruising wasn't particularly visible.

Ducky leaned closer to both men, his voice pitched low. "He's been given pain medication and a pre-op sedative but if you talk to him he should wake up."

They both nodded, but Gibbs gave John the first chance. John leaned forward, resting his hand on Tim's arm. "Son, can you hear me? It's Dad."

"D'd?" Tim's head moved slightly and one eye opened. He blinked for a moment, then worked at opening both eyes. Gibbs bit back a curse and John gasped when they saw that the white of the eye on his damaged side was a deep red. "You okay?"

"I'm not the one that almost got his head taken off."

That got a wisp of a smile. "Got a hard head."

Gibbs spoke for the first time since Tim had awakened. "That was a hard paperweight he hit you with."

"Wondered what he had in his hand."

The door opened again and several surgical attendants entered the small room. Ducky gave them an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid it's time to take him. The surgery should take about several hours, then he'll be in recovery for a few more hours after that."

Gibbs suspected the reason for the change of scrubs. "You'll be with him, Duck?"

"Yes, I'm scrubbing in to observe."

"Take good care of my son, Dr. Mallard."

"Of course. Try to get some rest, Admiral McGee. Timothy would be devastated if this caused you to take a turn for the worst."

John gave a nod as he watched them wheel Tim out. Once it was just the two of them, he turned to Gibbs, the anger evident. "I want that bastard nailed to the wall for what he did to my son, Gibbs."

"He will be."

"Good. If you need anything to make it happen, I've got a lot of favors owed to me. I'll cash in every one of them if we need to."

"Don't worry, I'm going to enjoy breaking Fielding."

-NCIS-

The crime scene had been processed and cleaned, but Ellie and Tony found themselves staring at the spot where McGee had fallen. Abby returned from the lab and sat on the corner of Tony's desk. "All the evidence has been recorded. Fingerprints on the paperweight prove that it was Colonel Fielding that hit McGee and the security cameras caught the whole thing. It's a slam-dunk."

"Yeah. Good." Tony sounded about as enthusiastic as Abby. "Have you heard anything about McGee?"

"He's in surgery. That's all I know."

Leaning heavily on his elbows, Tony rubbed at his face. "Okay, what else do we have? Bishop, what calls do you have between Delilah and her father?

"She usually calls home once a week. From yesterday afternoon until 0700 local time today, she made three calls to her parents' home number and five to her father's cell."

"We can make the claim of a premeditated attack, but we can't prove it." Tony straightened up and looked carefully at Bishop. "Unless the NSA or DoD records outgoing calls."

She picked up her phone. "Let me see what I can find out."

"What about the boyfriend? They both jumped at Abby's question. They'd almost forgotten she was there. "This was a conspiracy, right? A conspiracy of lies so he had to be part of it."

Technically that was a stretch, but Tony's best friend was currently in an operating room and he was more than willing to spread the hurt around. "Okay, let's see if we can figure out who this guy is. Bishop, can you get us a list of all the married, male NSA agents and DoD analysts stationed in Dubai?"

She was already typing away, a bag of chips on the desk. "He doesn't even have to be stationed there. If they had a history together, he could have just been passing through between assignments." Her head tilted as she frowned. "If his work is classified, there might not be any official record of his travels."

"Do what you can, Bishop. Abby, why don't you see if you can help her. The affair's been going on for a while. Maybe if you cross-reference Delilah's previous assignments, we can narrow down the list." Once the girls were distracted, Tony slipped his phone into his pocket and left the squad room.

-NCIS-

John was never one to wait well, but now that Tim was in surgery, there was nothing left to do. He couldn't pace and he was still nauseous enough that he didn't want a cup of coffee so he settled for getting answers. "How was he when you found him last night?"

"On his way to buy a house."

"A house? Most men buy a bottle and my son buys a house? I hope you talked him out of it. The last thing he needs is a thirty year mortgage on a depression-fueled impulse buy."

Gibbs gave him a strange look that John didn't understand. "Nope, I listened to his reasons and they were sound. I went with him to look at the house and that was sound, too. If nothing else, it's a great investment."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're going along with this madness?"

That strange look was back, now with a touch of pity. "Tim found the house back before Delilah was paralyzed, but she hated it so when the paperwork for the sale stalled, he didn't fight it. He also quit house hunting because nothing else compared."

That surprised John. He'd never actually owned property and didn't see the draw. "He liked it that much?"

"Loved it, could imagine himself spending the rest of his life living in it."

"So, what happened? He called and found out it was still on the market?"

"Nope. The realtor called him. Apparently his offer had been accepted before the house was tied up in a legal battle between the owners. The courts finally finished with the case the day before yesterday and released the house back to the bank. Now, the bank would have loved to not have that accepted offer on the books, but it's legally binding – at least as long as he acted quickly to finish his end of the sale. I'd have done the same thing."

John thought about what Gibbs had said. If a bank had that much control and the court had been involved. "It's a foreclosure?"

"Yep."

"How bad of shape is it in?"

"Some deferred maintenance and a good cleaning is all it needs. Neighbor's been taking care of the pool in exchange for the right to use it."

"Pool?"

"And a hot tub. The market's bounced back enough that he's already gained over a hundred grand in equity on the place which is why the bank would have been very happy if he'd walked away."

Now it was beginning to make sense. "If he walked away, they could re-list it at the new value?"

"Exactly and the timing was perfect – gives him something to look forward to instead of brooding on the past. Between the pool, the hot tub, the media room and the rec room complete with a pool table, he's planning on the team spending a lot of time there and we'll make sure he's all right."

"He can afford that?" The words came out before John could stop them and Gibbs just gave him that look – again.

"Didn't you mention his crappy little apartment a time or two? That's how he can afford it, he's been living well below his means, saving up for years."

John remembered the argument with his son and the snide comments he'd made within earshot of Gibbs. For every one thing he managed to get right in his relationship with his son, he seemed to screw up at least three others. "Then I'm glad he's getting it. What's it like? I mean besides having a pool and a hot tub. Sounds like the perfect bachelor's pad."

"Seven bedrooms, it'll convert to the perfect family home when the time is right."

"Seven?"

"Yeah, that's assuming he doesn't change the layout of the basement. The original owners were finishing it when they lost the place."

"A lot of work left to do?"

"With a full crew that knows what they're doing, I could probably finish it up in a week, easy. Since most of my gang hasn't done a lot of construction, it'll probably take us a month or so. They'll be motivated, though. Tim's gonna declare that if they want to stay there on the weekends we're off, they have to build and furnish the rooms they're going to claim."

Barking out a laugh caused a coughing jag, but John finally caught his breath. "Smart move."

Gibbs was grinning, too. "Yeah, I thought so."

-NCIS-

Finding a quiet spot, Tony dialed his phone, talking the moment the call was answered as to not scare the other person more than necessary. "Hey, Jake, Ellie's fine, but I think you should know what happened."

 _Okay?_

Like ripping off a bandage, he didn't waste any time. "McGee was attacked in the office this morning. The suspect walked past Ellie's desk and picked up her new paperweight and slammed it into McGee's head."

 _Ah, shit, is he going to be all right?_

"He's in surgery, that's the last we heard. Anyway, totally not her fault, but she's feeling pretty bad about it."

 _Yeah, me, too. I'm the one that bought it for her. Would I be in the way if I dropped by later?_

"No, that would be fine. Just to warn you though, the attack has a NSA connection. Well, technically it's DoD, but you know what I mean."

 _Man, it just keeps getting better, doesn't it?_

"Welcome to our world."

 _Have you guys eaten lunch yet?_

"Not yet. I don't think any of us want to leave until we know Tim's out of surgery and that he's going to be okay."

 _I'll grab some Chinese food and be there as quick as I can._

"Thanks, man."

 _Nah, thank you for taking care of Ellie for me._

Tony ended the call and turned around, only to almost run into Director Vance. "Vance, sir."

"DiNozzo, how is the investigation going?"

Tony glanced around, making sure they were still alone. "The assault case is solid. Evidence, witnesses and video recording takes care of that, but we're still working on proving Delilah's involvement, also the boyfriend. If there's even a chance that the three of them planned this out or that the two of them planned on using her father to punish McGee, we'll find it."

"Have you identified the boyfriend yet?"

"No, but we will." Of that, Tony had absolutely no doubts whatsoever.


	6. Chapter 6

Admiral McGee pulled his phone out of his robe pocket and stared at it. "I'd better call Sarah and let her know what happened."

Gibbs didn't envy him one bit on that. "I'll give you some privacy." He stepped away, deciding to find some coffee and make a call of his own. "DiNozzo, status report."

 _All the evidence against the Colonel is put together and it's solid. Still working to determine exactly what Delilah did leading up to this. Also working to identify the boyfriend._

"Good." Whatever the mystery man's connection to all of this, Gibbs wanted him to face what his cowardice had caused.

 _How's McGee, Boss?_

"Still in surgery, Tony. Didn't scramble his head too bad, but the bone around the eye is broken."

 _He's not going to lose his eye, is he?_

"Ducky says he'll have to be very careful while it heals, but so far so good. Looks like hell, though. Make sure everyone is prepared for that when he's ready for visitors."

 _Yeah, okay. You coming back soon, Boss? The Army is going to start asking why we have one of their officers in custody._

"Ducky is sitting in with the surgery, so as soon as either Ducky is back in the waiting room or Sarah arrives. Don't want to leave the Admiral alone down here." Out of the corner of his eye, Gibbs saw Admiral McGee in an intense conversation with someone in a lab coat. He turned his attention back to DiNozzo. "Either way, I'll be there soon."

Whatever the argument was between the Admiral and one of the doctors, it was over by the time Gibbs joined them and the older McGee looked pleased. "Problem?"

"No, just got myself a day pass to go to the Navy Yard with you."

Gibbs had some serious doubts about that. "Admiral -"

"I'm going to sit in that observation room and watch you destroy the man that hurt my son."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Gibbs stared at him. "And if I leave you here?"

"Then I'll take a cab. This isn't up for negotiations, Gibbs. I want to watch that man stripped of his rank and everything important to him. I want to see that little tramp get at least a fraction of what she's got coming to her. If they stall their trials long enough, watching you break them will be the only satisfaction I get, Gibbs. We both know that."

Gibbs knew he was right. Unless Fielding was offered and accepting a plea bargain almost immediately, the Admiral would be dead and buried long before the case ever reached the courts. "Fine."

-NCIS-

Jake walked into the squad room with a box of Chinese food twenty minutes earlier than Tony was expecting. "Wow, you made good time."

"Yeah, I'd better enjoy it, too. It'll never happen again."

"You've got that right." Tony was already digging through the box, but Jake snagged one of the cartons and walked over to Ellie's desk.

"Here you go, babe."

"Aw thanks, sweetheart. This is just what I needed."

After she opened the carton he handed her a pair of chopsticks and they shared the food. "How's Tim? Has anybody heard?"

"Still in surgery, I guess. It... it hit him right next to his eye, broke the bone."

Jake hated to ask, but if he could help, he wanted to. "Tony said there was a NSA connection."

"Yeah." Ellie swallowed hard and set the carton down. "Delilah Fielding lied to Tim, tried to trick him into marrying her."

Ouch. Jake didn't know Tim as well as the other agents on the team, but he struck him as a straight up guy that valued honesty. "I take it that Tim figured out the lie?"

"He did. Now what we need to figure out is did she tell the same lie to her father to try to force a marriage or to punish Tim for not giving in to her demands."

-NCIS-

Apparently being an Admiral in Bethesda had some serious perks because a nurse arrived to whisk him away and return him just as Sarah arrived in the waiting room. She stared at him for a moment, taking in the perfectly pressed dress whites. "Do I want to know what's going on?"

"I am going to observe the interrogation of the man that attacked your brother."

Sarah looked to Gibbs for confirmation, but he just shrugged. "We've got him dead to rights, it shouldn't take long."

"You're going to leave while he's in surgery?"

"Actually, Timothy is now in recovery."

They all turned to see Ducky standing in the doorway. "Duck, how is he?"

"The surgery went well. The bone has been stabilized, the fragments are either back in place or removed and nothing punctured the eyeball. If he is careful, he will have a full recovery."

"His eye?"

Apparently summoning her didn't include much of the details, but Gibbs couldn't wait any longer. "Dr. Mallard will bring you up to speed. Now that I know he's going to be all right, I have a suspect to interrogate."

Sarah turned back to her father. "And you're going with him?"

"Yes."

"And do what? You're not an agent. You're not an investigator."

"No, but I do outrank the man -"

"You're an Admiral, you outrank pretty much everyone, Daddy."

He continued as if she hadn't interrupted. "- and I have missed too many chances to support you kids, especially your brother. I encouraged your brother to stand his ground and he was attacked for it. Gibbs will get justice for Tim, but I need to see it for myself."

Sarah's shoulders dropped. "Just what do I tell him when he wakes up and you're not here?"

"We'll be back soon."

You didn't have to look at her to know that was not the answer Sarah McGee wanted to hear.

-NCIS-

"Are all men idiots?"

Ducky blinked as he tried to find an answer for Sarah. "I'm not sure exactly..."

"Daddy! It would have meant so much to Tim to have him here, but no, he's got to go off with Gibbs. What was so special about this case that my father would have even known about it?" When she didn't get an answer, Sarah turned around to stare at Ducky. "What is the case?"

"Oh, dear, your father didn't tell you any details when he called you?"

"No, he just told me that Tim was hurt and I needed to get to the hospital. Dr. Mallard, what is going on?"

As much as he'd disliked it, Ducky understood why the team had to be privy to such intimate secrets, things that Timothy would have preferred to never be made public. That being said, he didn't feel at all comfortable repeating what he'd heard to someone not involved in the investigation, even when that person was Timothy's sister. "I'm afraid it's not my place to say."

"Hmph, men."

-NCIS-

"This isn't the way to the Navy Yard."

"Got a stop to make." Gibbs didn't say anything else, knowing that eventually John would realize he was stopping at Tim's apartment. Having the physical proof of the gestational age of the fetus would make things even easier. He just hoped that Tim hadn't run it through his shredder. If worst came to worst, he could bring back McGee's computer and see if Abby could rescue the file.

John turned to look at Gibbs when they pulled into the apartment complex. "Why are we stopping here?"

"I want to see if I can find the ultrasound picture. Just stay put, I'll be right back." Gibbs never locked his doors but he understood why the rest of his team did. His only requirement was that they give him a key. Today he was grateful for that rule as several tenants were milling around the walkway as he strode up to the door. Using a key didn't create questions while a set of lockpicks would have probably had him explaining to the local LEO's.

Inside the tiny and tidy apartment, it was easy to see if anything was out of place. The desk was clear, but there was a crumpled up piece of paper in the can under the desk. Gibbs smoothed it out and found himself looking at a slightly blurry and grainy picture. He'd seen enough over the years to know that if it had been Tim's, it would have looked like a shrimp. This baby was developed enough to show some basic features. Even without looking at the numbers at the bottom of the page, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that McGee was not the father.

Back in the car, John was waiting. "Did you find it?"

"Yep."

"How are we going to do this?"

"I am going to talk to Delilah first, then her father. You are going to park in the observation room and not move."

-NCIS-

Henry's eyes got big when he saw the Admiral. He didn't say anything as he signed him in, but Gibbs saw him on the phone before the elevator doors closed. Sure enough, Vance was waiting for them when they reached the squad room.

"Admiral McGee, I didn't realize you were out of the hospital."

"He's not. As soon as we're done here, he's going back. DiNozzo, what have you got for me?"

"We've got several calls from a Dubai number to the Fieldings' home yesterday and last night. Also to the Colonel's cell phone. Nothing past 0700 today."

Jake Malloy stepped forward. "I called in a favor with the head of the Dubai office. The work day ended hours ago, but she's being quietly monitored and if she tries to leave her apartment, she'll be picked up."

"Have them bring her in now. I want to use MTAC to talk to her."

While Jake made his phone call, Ellie stood up. "We've narrowed the list down to three possibles for the boyfriend. I'm running phones, financials and travels now."

"How long?"

Her computer chirped before she could answer and she sat back down. "Got him, I think. Her original training officer, Matthew Gainer. Currently he's on assignment in Tanzania but reports to Dubai in person once a month at least. He never turns in an expense report for a hotel while he's there and he always calls her the day before he arrives. The other two weren't in Dubai at the right time."

Gibbs turned to Jake. "Can you get him picked up?"

"Maybe. Depends on what he's working on." Jake looked over at the array of clocks on the wall. "It's about 2100 there, let me see what I can do."

While Jake was back on the phone, Gibbs turned to the rest of his team. "Deep background on this guy."

"His wife, too?"

"Oh, yeah."

-NCIS-

"Hey, big brother." Sarah bent close as she watched his eyes flutter open.

"S'rah?"

He looked horrible, but she tried to make a joke. "You know we're supposed to meet up at a coffee shop so I can con you into buying me lunch, not in a hospital room."

"H've to owe you." He winced and tried to raise his hand up to his face.

She quickly grabbed his hand and held on. "Let's not touch anything, okay?"

"Feels like getting stabbed... mouth."

There were no visible sutures, but Ducky had explained everything before she'd been allowed in to see him. "They went in through the inside of your cheek when they operated. It probably feels weird, but at least you won't have a scar."

"Hmm." And like that he was back asleep. Sarah brushed his hair back and studied his face. One side was swollen beyond recognition with deep bruising and several butterfly bandages showing where he'd been hit. She'd been told the medical findings and what had been done to correct the damage, but not what had caused it in the first place. She had her suspicions from what little she'd been told. After all, if their father was feeling guilty, there must be a reason. Ducky wouldn't tell her, but maybe their next visitor would.

-NCIS-

"Dubai is coming online now, Sir."

Vance nodded, then jerked his head to clear the room. Ellie slipped into a chair at one of the consoles to handle the tech on their end. Vance stepped back to sit next to the Admiral and DiNozzo, leaving only Gibbs to be visible at the other end of the call.

The test pattern cleared to show Delilah sitting in her wheelchair, looking very nervous, and a thin, bald-headed man standing next to her. He spoke first.

"Agent Gibbs?"

"That's me."

"I'm Gordon Cooper, Assistant Director here in Dubai. I have Miss Fielding here as requested."

She tried to seem annoyed, but they could see the panic in her eyes. "I don't understand what this is about."

Cooper spoke before Gibbs could. "You have been accused of orchestrating an attack on a federal agency on American soil. I suggest you answer all of Agent Gibbs' questions fully and with complete honesty."

Gibbs kept his face blank, but inwardly he wondered exactly what Jake had told them. Whatever it was, it certainly got the job done. "You lied to Tim."

"That is none of your business, Agent Gibbs."

"Really? So, did you lie to your father, too?"

She stiffened slightly, but he noticed and kept pushing. "Or I'm thinking the two of you planned the whole thing out together. Or maybe it was the three of you. You, your father and Matthew Gainer."

Now there was no mistaking the panic in her eyes as she turned to her boss, Cooper. "I'd like to speak to Agent Gibbs in private."

Cooper didn't look impressed by the request. "Only if Agent Gibbs asks me to leave."

Gibbs was silent.

In the back of the room, Jake had been on his phone. Now he ended the call and stepped close enough for Gibbs to see him and whisper something before nodding. Gibbs returned the nod and smiled at her – the smile DiNozzo called the shark grin. "We'll hear from Gainer himself as he's now in custody. If you want to talk, then talk. I have no problem having you cuffed and put on a flight back here to DC."

She looked defeated and wiped tears off of her face. "I worked hard to earn this assignment."

"And as much as it hurt him to have you on the other side of the globe, Tim supported you 100%. He loved you."

"Then why didn't he ask me to marry him? I can't stay here if I'm not married. Why couldn't he do that one thing for me?" They could see the moment when the puzzle pieces fell into place for Cooper.

"You're pregnant, Miss Fielding?"

Staring at the floor, she nodded. Watching the tears drip off her face Gibbs could almost feel sorry for her – that was if she hadn't triggered a brutal attack on one of his. "Will Gainer be surprised when we tell him he's going to be a father?"

This time she shook her head as Cooper cursed under his breath.

Jake joined Gibbs in the center of the room, speaking to him, but staring directly at Delilah. "Did I mention that Matthew Gainer's father-in-law is Senator Harper?"

"Really?" Gibbs also stared straight ahead as he answered. "Senator Nolan Harper, as in number two man on the Hill?"

"Yep. Also from one of the most conservative districts. I'm sure he'll be very happy to welcome his – what is the relationship when your son-in-law has a child with someone other than the daughter he's married to?"

"That's a really good question. Course the question I want answered is: were you trying to bully Tim into pretending he was your kid's father or were you punishing him because he turned you down?"

"Daddy was just supposed to convince him to do the right thing, that's all."

"The right thing? When you found out you were never going to walk again and he stuck with you, that was doing the right thing. When you wanted to prove yourself by going to Dubai and he supported you, that was doing the right thing. When women flirted with him and tried to pick him up and he didn't even notice because he was so faithful to you, that was doing the right thing."

Gibbs was on a roll and he knew that Tony and Ellie were staring at him, probably amazed at the amount of words. He hadn't ranted like this since the last time he'd torn into Senior, but they hadn't seen that. He shook his head in disgust. "Getting bullied into legally and financially supporting your kid to protect your lover, that's not doing the right thing and I'm not going to let that happen. You're done. Bring her home, Cooper." He gave the signal and Ellie cut the feed. Breathing heavily, he looked over at Admiral McGee who gave him a very satisfied nod.


	7. Chapter 7

Standing outside the hospital room, Abby took a deep breath. She was a little scared to see McGee so badly injured and she didn't know how to avoid the questions she was sure Sarah would have. Deciding to wing it, she took another deep breath and opened the door.

"Hey, how is he?"

"Better, I guess." Sarah stepped away from the bed to give Abby a hug. "Thanks for coming."

Abby returned the hug, looking over Sarah's shoulder to take a look at McGee. Ducky had warned her, but it was still quite a shock. "It's okay, I was just getting ready to come down here when you called. Wow, McGee, he really did a number on you."

"Who's 'he'?"

Abby winced at her slip-up. "Umm, it's an active case, Sarah. I really can't talk about it."

"But it has something to do with my father, right? Somebody he pissed off along the way?"

"Umm..." Abby stared at her, trying to come up with an answer because that was not the question she was expecting. "Not really?"

"The team knows, don't they?"

Abby squealed as she spun around. "McGee, you're awake. Oh, I was so worried." She tried to find a spot that wouldn't hurt him and ended up kissing the top of his head. "I'm sorry, Gibbs had to tell us to work the case."

"Yeah." He could only look at her with one eye and that one closed as well as he sighed. "Tell her."

She hated the defeated look on his face and took a moment to straighten out the blankets, hoping that would make him feel a little more comfortable. "Okay. Would you rather we talked outside?"

He seemed to relax at the suggestion. "Actually, yeah." Without opening his eye again he found the morphine pump and pressed the button. Abby watched for a minute until he was asleep again before she led Sarah out of the room. They found an isolated corner where they could talk.

"Okay, tell me what's going on."

Abby chewed on her lip as she debated how best to answer. Finally, it all came out in one breath. "Delilah's pregnant, but it's not his and she tried to trick him into believing it was. Then she apparently told her father that Tim dumped her and his child so he showed up at the Yard this morning and attacked McGee."

"That little -"

"Don't." Abby threw her hand up to stop the rant she knew had to be coming. "I've already got a month of Hail Mary's to do. Don't get me started again."

-NCIS-

"Oh-oh."

Ellie looked up. "What's she doing here? She's DoD."

"Yeah, but she used to be Army. This isn't going to be pretty. Tony jumped to his feet to intercept her. "Hollis, long time no see."

"Cute, DiNozzo. Where is he?"

"And to which 'he' would you be referring to? The patriarchal mindset is pretty strong around here and..."

She didn't look impressed. "Oh, it is? You get that from your men's group, DiNozzo?"

"Well, yeah, but..." A voice from behind saved him.

"If you're looking for me, I'm right here. If you're looking for that idiot Colonel, he's cooling his heels in a holding cell."

Her eyes widened at the sight of a gaunt admiral standing next to Gibbs, but she stayed on task. "That 'idiot' as you refer to him happens to be a well-respected officer at the Pentagon and they want him back."

"They better start looking for a replacement because they're not getting him back."

"Excuse me, Admiral -" she stopped long enough to look at his name tag. "McGee, wait, McGee? - As in..."

"Timothy is my son, my only son, and he is currently recovering from surgery after a brutal and unprovoked attack by Colonel Fielding. He's lucky to be alive. We're hoping that he'll be lucky enough to still have a functioning eye when he recovers."

They watched as the pieces started to fall into place. "Colonel Fielding's daughter is Delilah. Perhaps you should tell me the rest in private."

Gibbs gave a snort and they all recognized the expression on his face. "Don't see why. The good Colonel is going to be a grandfather. The baby daddy is none other than Senator Harper's son-in-law and the proud parents were a little afraid to tell him so she lied to McGee, tried to convince him the baby was his. When that didn't work, she tried to bully him into accepting the baby as his. And when that didn't work -"

"She let her father think the worst of McGee." Hollis closed her eyes and shook her head. "Oh, Lord, this is going to be an absolute mess."

"Ya think?"

"Senator Harper has just been named the chairman of the Appropriations Committee."

"Not my problem."

"Gibbs."

"Nope." Gibbs snapped his fingers at Ellie and pointed to the plasma. She fumbled with the remote and then got the security footage from that morning playing. The team had seen it in real time but Hollis and the Admiral watched in horror. When it was done Gibbs picked up a file from his desk and handed it to her. She opened the file and stared at the graphic photos taken of McGee at the hospital.

Hollis quietly handed them back. "Did she know he was going to do that?"

"Supposedly she wanted him to browbeat Tim into marrying her so she could keep working in Dubai."

"With the Senator's son-in-law?"

"That's been going on for over six years."

"Well, shoot. Have you interrogated him yet?"

In answer, Gibbs swept his arm toward the elevator. "After you."

-NCIS-

Sarah slipped back into her brother's hospital room and sat down next to the bed. She watched him for a moment, then laid her head down next to his. "I'm so sorry, Tim."

"I thought she was the one, Sarah."

"Yeah, I know. How did she think she was going to get away with it?"

His eyes were still closed and a tear slipped out of the one that wasn't swollen shut. "She figured that I would feel so guilty when the baby arrived early that I'd just be grateful he was okay."

"She told you that?"

"Yeah, yesterday when I confronted her."

"Can I borrow your credit card and fly to Dubai to kick her butt?"

He gave a strangled snort. "Thanks, Sarah, but no. I just bought that house Delilah hated."

"You bought it? Oh, I'm so happy for you. When?"

"Yesterday. Ended it with Delilah and ten minute later the realtor called and said the title was clear and I could have it if I wanted it, so I jumped on it."

"Good, you deserve it."

-NCIS-

With the Admiral in the observation room and back in his wheelchair with the threat of being handcuffed to it if he tried to walk around anymore, Gibbs appeared to be ready to take on the Colonel. Hollis Mann followed him in, but remained silent as she stood in the corner. She'd always loved watching Gibbs like this, but she'd never admit to anyone that she still missed it.

"Who's that?" Fielding was still surly and angry.

Gibbs threw down a folder before sitting in the chair across from Fielding. "The DoD thought they could send someone to save your sorry ass, then they found out what you did."

"You'd have done the same thing if you had a daughter, Gibbs."

Hollis watched his eyes narrow, but there was no other outward sign. If she hadn't known Gibbs' history, she'd have never picked up on it, but she did know and her own features tensed as she hurt for him. Gibbs, however, played it by the book.

"I'm here to inform you of your Article 31 rights. Would you like me to read them to you?"

"I know my rights."

Gibbs kept going, making sure there was no chance of the case being thrown out on a technicality. Back when they were involved, he tended to walk the line much closer and she was glad to see he'd mellowed a little. Either that or he was so mad that he didn't trust himself. Under the circumstances, that was a real possibility. "You have the right to remain silent, that is, to say nothing at all. Any statement you do make, either oral or written, may be used against you in a trial by court-martial or in other judicial, non-judicial or administrative proceedings. You have the right to consult with a lawyer prior to any questioning and to have a lawyer present during this interview. You have the right to military counsel free of charge. In addition to military counsel, you are entitled to civilian counsel of your own choosing at your own expense. You may request a lawyer at any time during this interview. Have you previously requested counsel after advisement of rights?"

Arms crossed over his chest, Fielding leaned back in his chair. "I don't need counsel. I did the right thing."

"If you decide to answer questions during this interview, you may stop the questioning at any time. Do you understand your rights? Do you want a lawyer?

"Yes, I understand my rights. No, I don't want a damned lawyer. There's not a military judge anywhere that would say I was in the wrong."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Gibbs flipped open the file and slid the first page across the table. Hollis could see that it was a copy of McGee's passport, showing his trip to Dubai in July. "McGee spent two weeks in Dubai with his girlfriend."

"Yeah, I know. That's when the little weasel got my baby girl pregnant, the bastard."

Gibbs gave a non-committal grunt and moved the next piece of paper across the table, keeping his hand on it. "Have you seen this? It's a picture of your grandchild."

Fielding leaned close to look at it and Gibbs gave what appeared to be an understanding nod. "Under the circumstances, I'm sure she hadn't shown it to you." Before Fielding could ask, Gibbs started pointing out the numbers across the bottom. "Date of the scan, gestational age, estimated due date. So, how good is your math, Colonel?"

He didn't look up. "This can't be right."

"Oh, I assure you, it is."

"But that would mean..."

"That she was not only pregnant before her boyfriend showed up, she knew she was pregnant."

Fielding's head shot up. "No."

Gibbs looked over at the two-way mirror and a few seconds later the monitor in the upper corner of the interrogation room came to life. Not knowing what to expect, Hollis turned to see the video capture from an earlier conference call in MTAC. She recognized Delilah, but not the man standing next to her wheelchair. He started speaking almost immediately and then she heard Jethro's voice come through the speakers.

"Agent Gibbs?"

 _That's me._

"I'm Gordon Cooper, Assistant Director here in Dubai. I have Miss Fielding here as requested."

Delilah stared through the small screen. Hollis recognized the expression of a woman that knew she'd been caught. "I don't understand what this is about."

Cooper did not seem happy about her claims of innocence. "You have been accused of orchestrating an attack on a federal agency on American soil. I suggest you answer all of Agent Gibbs' questions fully and with complete honesty."

 _You lied to Tim._

"That is none of your business, Agent Gibbs." A protest instead of a denial. Hollis wished she'd been early enough to see this live on the large screen.

 _Really? So, did you lie to your father, too? Or I'm thinking the two of you planned the whole thing out together. Or maybe it was the three of you. You, your father and Matthew Gainer._

Even on the small screen, she could see the panic on Delilah's face. What was even more important at the moment was the expression on Colonel Fielding's face. "Oh, Delilah, no."

The action on the screen continued. "I'd like to speak to Agent Gibbs in private."

Cooper turned enough to stare at her. "Only if Agent Gibbs asks me to leave."

Another person's voice came on, one she didn't recognize and couldn't quite hear. It sounded like they had someone, then Jethro's voice came over the speaker confirming her guess.

 _We'll hear from Gainer himself as he's now in custody. If you want to talk, then talk. I have no problem having you cuffed and put on a flight back here to DC._

"I worked hard to earn this assignment." Hollis could understand that, but she couldn't understand trying to juggle two men and she certainly couldn't understand not being more careful.

 _And as much as it hurt him to have you on the other side of the globe, Tim supported you 100%. He loved you._

"Then why didn't he ask me to marry him? I can't stay here if I'm not married. Why couldn't he do that one thing for me?"

Hollis was so stunned at the response that she almost missed it when Delilah's boss put it together.

"You're pregnant, Miss Fielding?"

Delilah was crying, but Hollis couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for the woman.

 _Will Gainer be surprised when we tell him he's going to be a father?_

The voice she thought she'd heard earlier was back again. _Did I mention that Matthew Gainer's father-in-law is Senator Harper?_

 _Really?_ She recognized that droll tone in Jethro's voice and knew exactly what expression would have been on his face. _Senator Nolan Harper, as in number two man on the Hill?_

 _Yep. Also from one of the most conservative districts. I'm sure he'll be very happy to welcome his – what is the relationship when your son-in-law has a child with someone other than the daughter he's married to?_ Lawyer, he sounded like a lawyer, but when had Jethro willingly let a lawyer get involved in a case?

 _That's a really good question. Course the question I want answered is: were you trying to bully Tim into pretending he was your kid's father or were you punishing him because he turned you down?_

"Daddy was just supposed to convince him to do the right thing, that's all." Hollis wasn't quite sure she believed her, but she knew the chances of proving anything in regards to that were slim to none. Gibbs didn't sound too impressed either.

 _The right thing? When you found out you were never going to walk again and he stuck with you, that was doing the right thing. When you wanted to prove yourself by going to Dubai and he supported you, that was doing the right thing. When women flirted with him and tried to pick him up and he didn't even notice because he was so faithful to you, that was doing the right thing._

Gibbs was a man of few words usually and Hollis knew that to get that wound up this had to affect him deeply. _Getting bullied into legally and financially supporting your kid to protect your lover, that's not doing the right thing and I'm not going to let that happen. You're done. Bring her home, Cooper._

The test pattern showed up on the screen for a split second before it went black.

Fielding dropped his head into his hands. "Oh, God, I didn't know, I swear." He looked up at Gibbs, devastation and realization in his eyes. "Is Tim going to be all right?"

"Now you care?" Gibbs flicked the hospital photos across the table and Fielding winced at the images. "They surgically rebuilt the shattered bones and so far his eye is intact, but his vision won't be out of the woods for a while."

Fielding looked over at Hollis and she found herself straightening up from the wall she'd been leaning against. "Is a plea bargain on the table?"

"I'm not the one you have to convince. In fact, I'd be more worried about the man in the observation room than I would even Gibbs."

"Who?" It always amused her when suspects thought if they leaned to the side they could see through the mirror.

Hollis gave Gibbs a quick look. Luckily they still worked well together and he let her take over. "Did your daughter ever mention Tim's father? I mean she seems to like men with powerful fathers – or father-in-laws. I'm sure his father – the Admiral – will be speaking to the SecNav, who will probably go straight to the SecDef. If I were you I'd expect to be stripped of my rank, my commission and my freedom."

"I'd like a lawyer now."

Hollis had a hard time not smiling when Gibbs straightened up and leaned into Fielding's personal space, glaring at him until Fielding curled in on himself. Only then did Gibbs storm out of the room and Hollis followed him.

The observation room was a lot more crowded than when they'd left. She recognized and had been expecting DiNozzo and Bishop of course, along with Director Vance. The one person she hadn't been expecting was the Secretary of the Army and years of military training had her coming to attention before she even registered her movement.

"Mr. Secretary."

He gave a short nod before stepping around them. They all watched as he walked into the interrogation room, Colonel Fielding almost falling over himself to stand.

"Colonel, do I need to explain to you how poorly it would show on the Army to have a public trial? To show one of our officers violently attacking a civilian for a rumor? Especially when it were to get out that your daughter is actually carrying the child of her married lover, a man married to the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the Senate?"

"I'm sorry, Sir."

"You should be. You are a disgrace to the uniform." He turned smartly on his heel and strode out the door, slamming it behind him. Fielding folded back down into his chair and everyone in the observation room turned to look at the Admiral.

John looked very pleased with himself as he straightened his own uniform. "No one attacks my son. Now, Agent Gibbs, I'd like to see my son's new house before I go back to the hospital."

"House? Probie bought a house? When did that happen?"


	8. Chapter 8

John knew he only had himself to blame when the rest of the team came along. Well, at least rank got him the front seat and it was nice to be out in the fresh air. He's spoken to Sarah and Tim was sleeping again, but overall, doing well.

Looking out the window, he was pleased to see that this was an upscale, established neighborhood. Some of the houses looked to be original while a great number appeared to have been updated within the last ten years or so. Gibbs pulled into a driveway and John looked around carefully. Double car garage, good; very little front yard as a very modern looking frosted glass and metal fence came out from the side of the garage then turned to meet the house. A flat roof on both the garage and the house and cement walls gave what he could see a very contemporary feel. It seemed large, but he really couldn't see too much because of the fence. "Private."

"And big." DiNozzo climbed out. Looking up, he probably had a better view. He was leaning against the car, taking it all in, but John was sure he could hear them.

"Do you know the square footage?"

Gibbs pulled the keys out of the ignition as he opened his door. "I think it's about 3600 square feet, maybe a little more."

"Damn." That was bigger than John would have ever guessed. It was certainly bigger than all of the military housing they'd been in as he's gone up the ranks. It was even bigger than most of the homes he'd had after he'd hit Admiral.

"How did he find this? Jake and I have been looking for months and we haven't found anything." The young lady on the team was shaking her head, then she started snapping pictures with her phone while one of the neighbors walked over.

"Gibbs, isn't it?"

"Yes. Carl, right?"

They shook hands, then the new arrival peered into the car. "Tim's not with you?"

"No, actually he was injured at work this morning. He's in the hospital, but his dad wanted to see the place."

"Cool, let me grab a key."

Ah, this must be the neighbor that's been taking care of the place. Pleased that they were going to be able to do more than look in a few windows, John climbed out of the car. Gibbs glared at him and went to the trunk for the wheelchair. "I can walk, Gibbs." Gibbs gave him the eye and John gave it right back. It wasn't like his chances of survival were going to decrease if he walked around some and he really wanted to experience this house that his son loves so much.

The neighbor – Carl – unlocked the gate on the fence and they followed him in. John knew what they'd find out here, so he watched as DiNozzo and Bishop got their first look at the pool and hot tub.

"Oh, man, Probie hit the jackpot with this place. Look at that, it's got a pool and a hot tub."

Amused, John looked around. The pool wasn't exactly Olympic sized, but it would make a nice morning workout and John remembered that Tim had been an excellent swimmer as a child. The outer walls were concrete but the walls that faced the pool and courtyard were mostly glass. A balcony upstairs provided shade for the patio next to the hot tub and behind him DiNozzo found a staircase that led up to the roof of the garage. That had to be...

"Whoa, cool roof top deck up here."

Gibbs was grinning. "You ain't seen nothing yet, DiNozzo."

That got him downstairs in a hurry as Carl unlocked the door.

"Wow."

John had to agree with Agent Bishop. Open and modern, this was the kind of house one could easily land the big deal in. It was the kind of house the furniture he had sitting in storage was designed for. Gibbs hovered but John was able to walk through the house.

"Living room and a family room?"

"Look up, Tony."

Bishop apparently spotted it first. "There's a plug in on the ceiling."

"Projection system, that's for a projection system – this isn't a family room, this is a home theater. Oh, man, McGee is so hosting movie nights from now on."

While the other two were exploring the main floor Gibbs joined John where he was leaning against the kitchen counter. "You okay?"

John could feel his strength ebbing, but he wasn't going to give in to it. "I'll make it. This is nice. This is real nice."

"Yep, and it's a good excuse to have people that care about him underfoot. That should make all this easier for him."

"I'm glad. Let me see the rest."

Gibbs gave him that look, the one that made him think he could see past the surface. "Basement's pretty rough. How about just the upstairs?"

As much as it pained him to admit it, Gibbs was probably right. "Fine." Determined, he walked to the stairs and slowly made his way to the top. He had to take one step at a time and had a death grip on the railing, but he made it on his own. Having Gibbs right in back of him, ready to catch him was a nice added security.

Reaching the second floor, John looked around. To his right was a door. In front of them was an open area large enough for a few chairs and past that was a hallway with a series of doors. Gibbs aimed him to the door on his right. Stepping through, he found himself in a nice size master bedroom with one glass wall and a balcony right outside. John looked for the door and realized that the entire wall was one big folding glass door. Thinking about it, the glass walls downstairs were probably the same way.

"He's going to need a lot more furniture."

"It'll come. Like I said, the team will be furnishing the extra bedrooms if they expect to ever spend the night here."

John nodded, he remembered the conversation. "When I was stationed on the west coast, I was dating an interior designer. She didn't want to be on base so I got a fancy apartment and spent a fortune buying the furniture she picked out, then she left me the day I found out I was sick. Spent way too much money on that stuff to just get rid of it so the Navy shipped it back here for me and now it's in a storage facility in Alexandria. I'll give you the key and the access code for the place. It's all modern, high end stuff, black leather and chrome, should look good in here. It'll get him started, then if he doesn't like it, he can sell it and get what he wants."

"Make sure he hears about it from you. That you're offering it to him."

He felt that first flare of annoyance, then thought about the words. As usual, Gibbs was right about his son. He'd ordered and demanded too much in Tim's life for his son to see this as a gift unless it was clear. "I will."

Before anything else could be said, footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs and DiNozzo popped into the bedroom with them. "Man, you won't believe downstairs, that's what a basement should look like, Boss."

"Oh, really?"

The droll comment made John smile as did the fast backpedaling. "Well, I mean your basement is fine for you but it's not right for McGee. After all, our Timmy's allergic to sawdust and wait until Abby sees that pool table."

"Nice save, DiNozzo."

"Thank you, Admiral."

-NCIS-

"Is he awake? I think he's waking up."

"Maybe. Hey, McGee, you awake?"

Tim had been drifting along, enjoying the good stuff that was in his IV, but he couldn't ignore the voices of his teammates. "Yeah, I'm awake. I think." Only one eye opened, which he was starting to get used to, but at least the vision on the other side wasn't swimming around anymore. Feeling like he was making progress, he shifted around in the bed. A square shape was pressed into his hand and he was able to raise the bed slightly. "When did you guys get here?"

Ellie was smiling, he could see that much. "Just a few minutes ago. Gibbs is here, too, but he took your dad back upstairs to his room."

"I slept through my father's visit?"

"Well, yeah, but that was earlier." Tony's voice, but he was on the side Tim couldn't see out of. "Your old man insisted on watching the interrogation. He even called in the Secretary of the Army, who was not a happy camper. The Colonel is toast."

"Yep." Ellie again, at least he could see her. "And then he insisted on Gibbs driving him by your new house so we all got to see it."

"Is that neighbor getting a commission from your real estate agent. Because he ran right over and unlocked the house so we could see the inside."

He couldn't do this anymore, it was making him sick to his stomach. "Tony?"

"Yeah, man?"

"Move over to the other side so I can see you both."

"Oh, okay." There was some shuffling sounds, then something hit the end of the bed. "Crap, sorry." Finally Tony was in view. "That better?"

"Yeah, thanks. So, you liked it?"

Tony and Ellie looked at each other, grinning, before Tony gave the group's opinion. "Oh, yeah. Hope you're ready for lots of company. That basement is going to be way cooler than Gibbs' and we can't wait for the home theater to get set up."

"Tony." Ellie was bouncing and poking at his arm. "Tony."

"Ouch, what?"

"I just realized something. We'll be able to watch the movies from the hot tub. That is so cool."

Tim chuckled as Tony frowned, then his face lit up. "You're right, we can. McGee, you bought the perfect house."

"Glad you approve."

-NCIS-

Gibbs waited outside the room as Admiral McGee was examined and helped back into bed. The doctor that had argued with the Admiral earlier came out of the room.

"He okay?"

"Physically, today was very hard on him, but emotionally it was apparently something very good. At end stage like this, that's probably more important. We gave him a mild sedative and he's already sleeping, so I'd say no visitors for the rest of the evening."

"Fair enough. His son should be able to move around tomorrow so I'll bring him up in the morning to see his dad."

"Excellent."

The older half of the McGee's taken care of for the evening, Gibbs went down to check on the younger. He found Ellie and Tony standing outside his room and Abby and Sarah arrived from a different set of elevators a moment later. "Everything all right?"

Tony gave a nod. "Yeah, they asked us to step out for a moment while they examined him."

"And we went to get a late dinner for all of us." Abby held up the bag she was holding and Ellie helped by taking one of the trays of drinks from Sarah.

It was a nice gesture, but – "Is he going to be able to eat any of this?"

"They said he could have some soup, Gibbs, so we got him some loaded baked potato soup. Sarah said it was one of his favorites."

Gibbs hadn't known that and filled that little tidbit away for later. They were ready to eat but Gibbs wanted to talk, first, without McGee. "All those bedrooms, the entire team can spend the night once in a while. Swim, play pool, watch movies -"

"Yeah, I know, isn't it great?" Tony's head was bobbing up and down and anyone that knew him knew he already had plans for some of their upcoming weekends.

Gibbs looked at Sarah and took a deep breath. He'd have preferred to do this without her, but maybe it was better this way. "He doesn't need the extra bedrooms, you guys do. Each of you pick a bedroom, finish it, furnish it and do it quick."

He waited a moment, giving Sarah another careful look. "Eventually, the entire family is going to be here for the Admiral and Tim's going to want them staying with him instead of at a hotel."

Abby got it first. "And we can help him by having all the bedrooms ready for company."

"Doesn't have to be fancy, just comfortable."

"We can do that." Tony looked at the ladies of the team. "I bet Palmer and Ducky will help, too. That will take care of all the bedrooms except the master."

"Good job." Seeing the sadness on Sarah's face, Gibbs wrapped an arm around her as she sniffled.

"It's hard, I thought he would live forever, you know? That he was too tough to die."

"You've still got some time left with him. He's not ready to go quite yet, if nothing else, today proved that. Now, dry your face and let's all go in and feed your brother."

She did just that and they all walked in a moment later. This was the first time Gibbs had seen him since the surgery and he gave Tim a careful look. The swelling and bruising still looked Godawful, but he was sitting up slightly and was aware of their arrival.

"I hope you really did bring back food because that smells terrible."

Probably to hide the sadness that was still radiating off of Sarah, Tony made a show of stepping close to the bedside table and leaning over to examine the tray. "Well, McGee, I can tell you without a doubt that it looks even worse."

"Glad they put it on the side I can't see out of, then."

"Yeah, even the staff knows how bad this is." Tony moved the dinner tray to the far side of the room before shifting the bed table around so that it was actually over the bed and McGee could see what they were setting down on it. His nose twitched and he broke out in a lopsided smile when Abby took the lid off.

"Loaded baked potato soup, my favorite."

The rest of the food and drinks were handed out and everyone settled down to eat just as Ducky walked in. "Oh, good, I was afraid they were going to starve the poor lad."

Tim waited until Ducky had his food before he asked the question he'd been waiting to ask. "Did they say when I can get out of here?"

"If all goes well, you should be released tomorrow, Timothy. However, you will extremely restricted for at least a week. No driving, no exertion of any kind. You very literally will not be able to blow your nose until the fractures have had time to stabilize. Plan on doing nothing but lounging around and sleeping, young man. Otherwise, your doctor has no problem with keeping you here a few extra days. He might even put you in the same room as your father, let him keep an eye on you."

Tim had opened his mouth to argue, but at the last threat, it snapped shut much to the amusement of the rest of the team.

Ellie had been happily munching on her food, but she was occasionally poking at the tray of food from the hospital and Tony shook his head. "If you want that, Bishop, I don't think McGee will have any problem sharing it with you."

No arguments there. "You can have the whole thing if you want."

The offer made her grimace. "I've just never seen jello that color before." Shuddering, she straightened up and changed the subject. "So, tell us about the house. How soon before you close? More importantly, can Jake and I have the name of your realtor? That place is the bomb."

Tim turned enough so that he could see Gibbs. "You guys drove by it, right? With my dad?"

"Yep, then Carl ran out with the key so they got the full tour. So did your dad."

"My dad went in and saw the place? Wait a minute, how'd he leave the hospital?"

"Pulled rank on the doctor and got himself a day pass. Wanted to be there when I interrogated Colonel Fielding."

"Oh." Suddenly sounding unsure of himself, Tim started picking apart one of the napkins. "I guess pretty much everyone knows what happened, right?"

Everyone turned serious at the question and Tony reached across his pat his knee. "Just the people that needed to know and we're all pretty disappointed in her and furious at her father."

"What's going to happen to him?"

"Nothing that you need to worry about right now, so finish your dinner before Bishop tries to steal some of it."

"Hey! Well, is it any good?" Bishop made a showing of peering at his bowl, but they could all see that McGee was fading fast. They quieted down and ate, letting McGee do the same. He'd finished about half before he was just too tired to eat any more, no matter how good it was.

Tony reached out and touched his leg. "Looks like you're about ready for another nap. We're going to go and let you sleep, okay."

"Thanks, Tony. Sorry I'm not much company, guys."

Abby leaned forward and planted a kiss on his undamaged cheek. "That's okay, McGee. It'll give us time to fight over your extra bedrooms."

"If you guys plan on staying in them..."

"We gotta furnish them ourselves. Yeah, we figured that out ourselves, but you know what? The pool and the hot tub, the rec room and that movie room make it all worthwhile." Tony was grinning as he stood. "We're going to have an entire _Godfather_ weekend, complete with Italian food and the best wine we can find. Then we're going to do a _Bond_ marathon. Oh, man, that's going to be good."

"Jake makes a mean martini."

"Cool. You guys are in charge of food for that night. I'll take care of the Italian food for the _Godfather_ night."

"Deal." They both looked at Abby.

She gave them all a wicked grin. "As soon as the downstairs is done, my weekend is going to be _The Hustler_ and _The Color of Money_ , then we're going to have our own pool tournament."

"Nice." Tony and Ellie were grinning at each other and nodding. Now it was Ellie's turn to stand up, but she kissed McGee's cheek in the process.

"Get some rest, Tim. We'll see you tomorrow."

While they were saying their goodbyes, Gibbs started moving Abby toward the door, squeezing Tim's foot on his way by. "I'll see you in the morning, take you upstairs so you can visit with your dad before we leave. For now, we'll let you have some time with your sister."

"Thanks, Boss."

Once it was just the two of them, Sarah snuggled up against his uninjured side as best she could. "It sucks having the both of you in the hospital at the same time."

"Sorry." He couldn't turn enough to kiss her forehead, so he settled for pressing his cheek against her. "I wish we could have avoided the whole thing." He was silent long enough that Sarah probably thought he'd fallen asleep. "I still can't believe Dad did that – that he left the hospital and went to the Yard."

"He's trying. Maybe it's too little too late, but -"

"No, it's never too late. Not while we're both alive."

"Good."

* * *

 **A/N - Sorry about missing a couple of days of posting. Work kicked my butt this week - literally. Pulled something in my hip and I'm hobbling around like an old lady. Two more chapters after this. Yeah, there's a sequel planned, that's why some of the dangling threads.**


	9. Chapter 9

"Morning, Doc, how is he this morning?" Gibbs had a cup of coffee in his hand, but he hadn't had a single sip of it yet.

The doctor signed off on the discharge forms and closed down the screen. "Ready to go home if he's got someone to keep an eye on him for a few days."

"We've got it covered."

"Then he's all yours."

Gibbs shook the man's hand. "Thanks, appreciate the care he got while he was here. Anything I need to know before I get my hands on his discharge instructions?"

The question brought a smile to the doctor's face. This wasn't Gibbs' first rodeo with stubborn patients that thought they were invincible. "Biggest things are to not let him bend over, not to blow his nose, anything that could create pressure. He's got a prescription for pain pills and I want him to be taking them for at least the next few days. They'll make him sleepy and that's a good thing right now. He'll probably want to be pretty propped up when he sleeps and that's another good thing – as long as we don't have to worry about him sliding off the pillows."

"Got it."

Gibbs walked into McGee's hospital room and dropped a duffel bag on the bed as he studied his agent. If anything, he continued to look worse as the bruising deepened. "Brought you some clothes that aren't covered in blood."

"Thanks, Boss." Tim was sitting on the edge of the bed, feet dangling off the side, as he reached for the bag but Gibbs didn't let go of it.

"No bending over, remember? I'll help you get dressed, then you can visit your dad before we get out of here. You'll be staying with me until you're healed up enough that your vision is safe. I believe the doctor said that was the only way he'd release you."

Tim had started to open his mouth, then snapped it shut when Gibbs knew what the doctor had said. Gibbs was amused, but decided to cut him a little slack. "They let you have any coffee yet?"

"There was a cup with breakfast. At least they said it was coffee. I think they just boiled one coffee bean in a big pot of water. Though I am impressed at how they managed to get it flavorless and bitter at the same time."

"It's an art, I'm sure." Gibbs handed over the cup he was holding, smiling at the lopsided grin of pleasure. Tim must have downed half of it before he came up for air. "Okay, let's get you dressed."

Boxers were first and Gibbs threaded the fabric over McGee's feet as he lifted them, then brought them up to his knees. Then he allowed Tim to stand and pull them up the rest of the way on his own. The hospital gown was removed before his pants were done the same way. Next, Gibbs worked his socks and shoes into place and then tied his shoes.

The button down shirt was easy enough for McGee to do on his own and he didn't even try to look down as he did up the buttons. Finally dressed, his attention returned to the coffee, which made the nurse smile when she brought in the wheelchair.

"Didn't like our coffee, Agent McGee?"

"Well, umm..."

She laughed as she brought the wheelchair closer. "Don't worry, I won't be offended. None of the staff will touch the stuff either. All right, you've got your discharge papers and I understand that you're going to go up to Oncology to see your father before you leave?"

"Yes, I am. Will that be a problem? Do you need to wheel me out and then let me walk back in?"

"No, that's all right. We'd rather you stay off your feet as much as possible. We're just going to let your friend here wheel you up there, then when you're ready to go home just leave the wheelchair near the admitting desk. They already know what's going on."

"Thanks – for everything."

-NCIS-

They were in the elevator before Tim started asking questions. "Last night's a little fuzzy, did my dad actually leave the hospital and go to the Yard?"

"He sure did, wanted to see Colonel Fielding's interrogation."

"Why?"

"He's your father, Tim." They reached their floor and the doors opened. Unlike at the Yard, Gibbs didn't want to tie up the elevator so he rolled McGee to a quiet corner where they could talk. "Fielding is the man that hurt his son. He wanted to see him sweat, wanted to see him hurt, too."

"Oh."

Tim looked impossibly young sitting there, looking up at Gibbs so Gibbs squatted down and rested his hands on Tim's arms. "If Fielding were to go to trial, it would probably drag out for years and that's time that your father doesn't have. I couldn't give him the satisfaction of watching a jury render a guilty verdict, but I could let him watch me break Fielding."

"Fielding took the plea?"

"Yes. You won't have to worry about a trial."

Tim fell silent and Gibbs stood, giving him a supportive pat on the shoulder before wheeling him in to see his father.

-NCIS-

John was restless. He'd had to agree to stay in his bed today in exchange for his pass yesterday. Sarah had popped in early, before visiting hours were officially started, for a quick hug and kiss before she had to leave. Now he was waiting for Timothy, which meant that he was waiting on Timothy's doctor to release him. That meant that he was waiting for indirect word that his son was well enough to leave the hospital. John knew without a doubt that Gibbs would have gotten word to him if something had gone wrong, but still the uncertainty bothered him.

Finally the door opened and Tim was wheeled in. John took a careful look. The swelling might have started to go down a little bit, but the bruises were even worse, more than making up for it. "Timothy."

"Hey, Dad."

Gibbs brought him close and squeezed Tim's arm. "Take all the time you need."

Tim nodded and watched Gibbs leave before turning back. John looked closer at him. Tim shrugged and touched his chin, apparently as close as he wanted to touch his injury. "Guess it's a little early to start looking better."

"Swelling might be down a little bit, but that's some impressive bruising you've got going on there. Does it still hurt?"

"They've still got me on the good stuff so it doesn't hurt. My mouth feels funny, though. Apparently that's where most of the incisions are."

"Most?" John looked again. The breaks in the skin were closed with a few butterfly bandages and probably some wound glue, but he didn't see any new ones. "Did they go in through one of the gashes on your face?"

This time he pointed toward his eye. "Nope, through the inside of the lower eye lid."

John was a man's man. Anyone that knew him, knew that. Blood, guts, gore, he could handle anything except when it came to the eye. It had been fine when damage to Tim's eye was just a possibility, but the idea of an incision in that sensitive spot made him shudder. Luckily, Tim didn't know the reason.

"You okay, Dad? Can I get you anything? Do you want me to call a nurse?"

"I'm fine, Son." John reached out and touched the undamaged side of Tim's face. "Hate to see you getting hurt like this."

"It happens."

"It shouldn't, not like this. At least that bastard is going to get what's coming to him. Her, too, if I have anything to do with it."

"You were there, what's going to happen to him?"

John couldn't help but smile when he thought of what that woman had said to Fielding in the interrogation room. "I believe the terms stripped of his rank, his commission and his freedom came up."

"A dishonorable discharge?" Tim didn't look happy.

"He almost killed you, Timothy. If that paperweight had hit you a little closer to the temple, you would not be here right now." John's first instinct was to get mad, but he forced it down. Timothy was the victim – the victim of people he loved very much, so of course he would have mixed feelings about putting the old man in jail. For now, John wanted to make sure Tim understood that. "I saw the security video. The attack is on record, son. He didn't yell or accuse you, just went in there looking for blood. This wasn't some car accident where he missed a stop sign, this was attempted murder."

"And what happens to his family, Dad?"

"Fielding should have thought of that before he tried to kill you." John took a deep breath. "Let JAG handle it now, Tim. You need to concentrate on getting better and enjoying your new home."

That got a shy smile out of his boy. "Yeah? You liked it?"

"That place is beautiful, if I can get a break from chemo, I wouldn't mind trying out that hot tub of yours."

Yep, safer topic for sure. Tim was smiling at him now. "It's a deal, Dad."

"Good. I'm looking forward to it." John leaned closer so he could rest his hand on Tim's arm. Gibbs was right, he needed to say this right. "You know I've never been one for material possessions. It probably would have driven your mother crazy, but it did mean that she always got the furniture she wanted."

Tim's smile widened. "True. Too bad her taste in furnishings sucked."

"No arguments there." John studied Tim for a moment, hoping he was going to do this right. He wanted this to be about Tim, not himself. "When I was last stationed in California I rented a pretty modern place and ended up having a designer pick out the furniture for it. All modern stuff, very high end and I'd like you to have it for your new home."

"Dad..."

"It'll get you started, then if you don't like some of the pieces, you can sell them at a consignment shop and buy what you like.

"Dad..."

"I'm not going to beat this, Tim. We both know it. Sure, they might find a treatment that works better and it might give me a few more months, but in the long run, I'm not going to beat it. You and Sarah will inherit everything I have, but I'm asking you to allow me the pleasure of watching you enjoy some of these things now." Tim swallowed hard as the words sunk in, but John didn't push. After talking to Gibbs, he was determined to do this the right way.

"Okay, Dad, I'll take them and thank you. Think you can hold on for one last family dinner? See your furniture in my new house?"

John felt himself choke up a little at that. "I'd like that, I'd like that a lot."

-NCIS-

"Hey, Buddy." Tony opened the car door the second Gibbs shut off the engine. "Bet you're glad to get out of there, aren't you?"

Tim nodded while Ducky gave him a careful look. "To bed for you, young man. A nice nap until lunch time is all you have planned for now."

Tony carefully steered him into the house and up the stairs. "You heard the man, McGee. A nice nap for my original probie, then lunch with your sister, Abby and Ellie." Tony looked over his shoulder at Gibbs who was following them up the stairs. "Three women fussing over him? I don't know, Boss, I think he might need back-up."

"Actually, what he needs are pictures of his new furniture."

Ignoring Gibbs for the moment, Tony turned back to Tim. "You snuck out of the hospital to go furniture shopping without me? McGee, I'm hurt."

Tim started to shake his head, then obviously thought better of it. "The furniture is a gift from my dad. He wants me to have it now for the new house so he can see me enjoy it."

Instead of inheriting it after the old man was dead. It made sense, but it was still a depressing thought and Tony did not want his friend any more depressed than what the last twenty-four hours had caused. "Cool, so does your dad have good taste?"

"No, but he was smart enough to hire a designer."

Tony noticed a flash of surprise cross Gibbs' face, then the older man subtly shook his head when their eyes met. Curious, but Tony wasn't going to ask in front of McGee. "All right, as long as we don't catch a new case, I'll get pictures and bring them back this afternoon. Probably grab the Autopsy Gremlin to help move stuff around."

Ducky gave an approving nod as he followed McGee and Gibbs into the bedroom. Tony was behind them and waiting to see the reaction.

"Did my house collide with a pillow factory?" Gibbs was staring at his bed, which was now home to at least a dozen large, fluffy pillows.

Tony had been waiting for this since Abby had gone shopping. "Not a full collision. More like a drive-by pillowing." Gibbs didn't look impressed which made Tony grin even wider. "Look at it this way – when McGee moves into his house, all those pillows are the first step in furnishing all those bedrooms."

"Uh huh." Gibbs didn't say any more but he couldn't quite hide the amusement as he and Tony got McGee settled on the bed. Tim was certainly propped up enough and in no danger of sliding off the side of the pillows.

While Ducky did a quick exam Tony and Gibbs slipped out and went downstairs. Tony waited until they were in the living room. "What aren't you telling McGee?" Gibbs raised an eyebrow and Tony shook his head. "I saw the look on your face when Tim said his father hired a designer. He didn't hire a designer?" Tony quickly put the various pieces together every way he could think of. "The old man was dating the designer?"

Gibbs looked a little surprised that Tony had figured it out, so he shrugged. "When it comes to dating rather than hiring, Senior is an expert."

"Yeah, well," Gibbs glanced up the stairs, making sure they weren't going to be interrupted. "I got the impression it was fairly serious, til he got his diagnosis."

"She dumped him rather than risk getting stuck taking care of him and the old man doesn't want Tim to pity him?" The slight tilt of Gibbs' head told him he was right. "Don't worry, I won't say a word."

-NCIS-

"No steaks?"

Gibbs just rolled his eyes at Tony's question. Just walking through the door and he was already hinting to get fed. "All those stitches in his mouth, you really think he's gonna want something that he has to chew?"

At least Tony looked a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I guess not. So, soup again?" He sniffed deeply before looking back at Gibbs, who couldn't help him.

"Ducky's in there, cooking something. Have no idea what it is."

The cook in question appeared at the door. "Mince and Tatties, comfort food from my childhood. Are you staying for dinner, Tony?"

"I... um, I've got to check my calendar real quick, Ducky."

Gibbs almost laughed as Tony did a quick search on the term 'mince and tatties'. Almost because he was a little worried about what it was, too.

Mince and Tatties turned out to be a not that scary mix of well cooked vegetables and ground beef in a flavorful gravy that McGee was able to carefully eat.

Once dinner was over and they helped McGee back into bed, Tony handed over his phone. "Here, I went to your dad's storage unit and got you some pictures of the furniture he gave you."

"Thanks, Tony." Tim took the phone as Tony settled in next to him. By the time they'd gone through all the pictures and decided where everything would go, Tim was obviously fading and Tony helped him get situated for the night.

"Time for all good probies to go to sleep, McGee."

Tim's eyes were already closed, but he did nod. "Thanks, Tony. It's going to look good, isn't it?"

"Sure is." Tony waited for a moment until he was sure Tim was asleep, then slipped out the door. Gibbs was waiting for him downstairs.

"Get everything figured out?"

"Yeah." Tony sat down next to Gibbs and stretched out his legs. "Found a spot for everything except the mattress. He doesn't want to use his dad's old mattress and I totally get that one."

Gibbs gave a snort and Tony remembered that Gibbs had overheard him whining about Senior and Tony's bed. "Anyway, he wants to start fresh with a new mattress and bedding, but one of us can use the other mattress in a guest room. It's a king, I might take it – unless you want it, Boss."

"Remember, the old man is Navy. You might want to see just how firm that bed is before you lay claim to it."

Tony hadn't thought about that. "Yeah, okay, that's probably a good idea. What's the plan for tomorrow?"

"Palmer is coming over to stay with McGee. We're going to finish up the last of the paperwork on this mess and make sure the blood stains are gone from McGee's work station."


	10. Chapter 10

"Good morning, Agent Gibbs."

"Morning, Palmer." Gibbs didn't get further than that when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Solid steps from someone wearing shoes, not the sound of bare feet. He turned and saw McGee dressed and looking ready for work. "What the hell do you think you're doing, McGee and how did you get dressed?" Looking closer, Gibbs saw that McGee's shoes weren't tied, so he pointed at the sofa. "Damn it, sit down before you trip and Ducky kills us both."

Tim sat, but he had a stubborn look on his face. "As the victim, I should have some say in the plea deal Colonel Fielding was offered."

"McGee..." Before Gibbs could get any further, his phone rang, the Director's name showing up on the display. He flipped his phone open and lifted it to his ear. "Yeah, Gibbs."

 _Apparently McGee's been on the phone with JAG_

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out."

 _Let me guess. He's all dressed and demanding to come in._

"Got it in one." He heard Vance sigh.

 _I'd do the same thing if I were in his shoes. All right, bring him with you, then he can leave after he does what he needs to do._

"Already planning on it." Gibbs snapped his phone closed and looked over at his charge. McGee was sitting down at least, and Palmer was tying his shoes. "All right, McGee, you win this round, but as soon as you're done with Fielding, Palmer is bringing you back here and you're spending the rest of the day in bed. Understood?"

"Understood. Thanks, Boss."

Gibbs just bit his tongue and nodded.

By the time they reached the Yard, Gibbs was seriously doubting the decision. McGee was pale and sweaty, his hands shaking slightly. "Did you take a pain pill this morning?"

"I will after I'm done. I want a clear head for this."

-NCIS-

"I will after I'm done. I want a clear head for this." Hurting, Tim leaned back and closed his eyes. He knew he was doing the right thing, but would any of the rest of them understand it? They all hurt for him, and he understood that, but when it was all over he needed to be able to live with himself and blind vengeance wasn't his style. Not when it would hurt innocent people.

Gibbs was driving carefully and under the speed limit, which was a pretty good indicator of his level of worry, even if he didn't verbalize it. Tim kept alert enough to keep track of their location, making sure the older man didn't decide to return them to his house. Thinking of that reminded Tim that soon he would have a house of his own and that made him smile through his pain.

They arrived at the Yard without stopping and Gibbs parked right in front of the building. Anything security might have said about it dried up when they saw him.

"Hey, Agent McGee, welcome back. How are you feeling?"

"Doing better, Henry. Thanks."

"We'll just be a few minutes here, then We're taking him back home."

"No problem, Agent Gibbs."

Tim concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other to the elevator. Once he was in the elevator, he leaned against the cool metal of the wall and let Gibbs push the button. The steadying hand on his back was appreciated when the elevator came to a stop and they stepped out into the bullpen.

"McGee, what are you doing here?"

"Tim, welcome back. How are you feeling?"

He gave them a slight wave, but his focus was on the three men walking toward him from the stairs. One was the Director, of course. He recognized another one as a lawyer from JAG. The last one had enough medals and ribbons on him to only be one of a few people. The lawyer had what he wanted, so he turned to him first.

"Everything's ready?"

"Exactly as you asked for."

The folder was placed in his hands and he quickly flipped through the pages, carefully checking that the dates were right. He held everything so that no one on his team could read the forms. They'd find out soon enough, but he didn't have the energy to argue with them about it. "Is he here yet?"

"He is. He's waiting for you in an interrogation room and," the lawyer looked around and licked his lips. "His daughter is with him."

Tim almost stumbled. He'd really wanted to do this without her. "I see."

"As much as I appreciate you trying to save the Army the embarrassment, this isn't necessary, Agent McGee."

Tim didn't even bother to figure out who the other officer was. "I'm not doing this for the Army, sir. I'm doing this for myself. When this is all over, I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror. I understand that JAG would have given your office a courtesy call about today, but this is between Colonel Fielding and myself." He started walking toward the interrogation rooms, knowing that the rest of them would follow.

Not wanting any of his friends in there with him, Tim didn't waste any time getting through the door and closing it behind him. Hearing the faint sounds of multiple feet going into the observation room, he leaned against the door and forced a calm he didn't feel as his eyes met Delilah's.

She stared, tearing up as she shook her head. "Tim, I'm so, so sorry."

Not wanting to hear her excuses, Tim held his hand up. "This is between your father and me."

The man that could have been his father-in-law had aged at least twenty years in the last few days. Silent, he seemed resigned to whatever Tim wanted to do. Not explaining himself, Tim sat down and opened the folder before turning it toward the Colonel and sliding it across the table. He held a pen out. "Sign this please."

Before the Colonel could sign, Delilah took the folder away from him and quickly read through the top page. "You want him to resign his commission? He's already agreed to go to prison for you, what's the point?"

Tim never looked away from Colonel Fielding. "Read the dates."

When he saw the relief flood Fielding's face, Tim knew the older man understood what he was being given. Delilah didn't. "Great, on paper he resigned his commission two days before you actually forced him out. I guess you won, Tim."

The Colonel spoke for the first time since Tim walked into the room. "No, Delilah, this way your mother wins." He took the folder back from her and skimmed through it, confirming what he believed it said, and quickly signed all three pages where it was already marked for him. "I don't deserve this, Tim, but thank you."

"I don't understand, Daddy."

"By allowing me to voluntarily resign and have it recorded as happening before I committed a crime, the Army will treat it as a retirement. I will still go to prison, but your mother will have my pension to live on."

"Oh." Judging from the look on her face, Delilah hadn't ever considered the fallout from what she had caused.

Tim shook his head. She might be a civilian employee of the Department of Defense and been born and raised an Army brat, but she really had no clue. "How old is your mother, Delilah?"

"Fifty-four."

"She was nineteen when she married your father, right?" Tim knew he was right, he'd heard the stories about how they'd met and fallen in love while he'd been at Officer's Candidate School and had given up college to follow him to his first posting. She hadn't worked since her first child was born, instead volunteering with different Army support groups for families and depending on her husband and his career to support her. "I'm doing this for her, not for either of you." Finished, he gathered up the papers and his pen and walked out without saying another word.

-NCIS-

Gibbs watched closely through the two way mirror as Tim walked into the interrogation room. He already looked drained as he leaned against the closed door. Delilah was watching Tim carefully and she looked guilty, but not guilty enough in his opinion.

 _Tim, I'm so, so sorry._

 _This is between your father and me._

Nope, not nearly guilty enough, but he was proud to watch Tim stand up to her attempts to get to him.

 _Sign this, please._

That gave Gibbs no clue as to what McGee was up to. He glanced over at the lawyer, but his face was passive. The General's expression was also closed off but Gibbs sensed a certain level of respect as the man watched what was happening. In the interrogation room, Delilah took the papers before her father could sign them.

 _You want him to resign his commission? He's already agreed to go to prison for you, what's the point?_

Anger. She was still blaming McGee for not buckling and Gibbs felt his fingernails digging into his palms. Forcing a calm he didn't want to feel, he straightened his fingers and pressed them against his legs.

 _Read the dates._

As soon as he heard McGee say that, Gibbs was pretty sure what the younger man had done. The expression on Fielding's face confirmed it for him. Obviously Delilah didn't understand what a gift the family had been given.

 _Great, on paper he resigned his commission two days before you actually forced him out. I guess you won, Tim._

The Colonel looked even sadder that his daughter wasn't getting it as he took the pages back and signed them. _No, Delilah, this way your mother wins. I don't deserve this, Tim, but thank you._

 _I don't understand, Daddy._

Judging from the confused faces from the rest of the team, she wasn't the only one, but Gibbs waited for Tim or her father to explain it to Delilah and thus, the rest of them.

 _By allowing me to voluntarily resign and have it recorded as happening before I committed a crime, the Army will treat it as a retirement. I will still go to prison, but your mother will have my pension to live on._

 _Oh._

Gibbs remembered seeing the woman when Delilah had been in the hospital. No one had said anything, but it was obvious to anyone that had seen her that her mother was in poor health. Frail enough that starting over from scratch would have been impossible. Gibbs was still too angry about what had happened to feel guilty about how the fallout would have affected the woman, but he was proud of Tim for taking the higher road. By the time he returned his attention to what was happening in the other room, McGee was walking out the door.

Gibbs met him in the hallway. Those expressive green eyes said it all.

 _I did what I thought was right._

 _Please don't be mad at me._

Gibbs gave a smile and a nod as he wrapped his hand around the back of Tim's neck and gave him a gentle squeeze. "You were right and we were too angry to see it."

"I know you and Dad were just trying to protect me, but I don't want you two to end up being the bad guys in this."

The question was unasked, but Gibbs heard it anyway. "I'll make sure he understands."

"Thanks, Boss."

Palmer appeared out of nowhere with a bottle of water and Gibbs waved him over. "Now, you take a damned pain pill, then Jimmy will drive you back to my place. Got it?"

That got a wan smile. "Got it, Boss."

Gibbs gave Palmer the 'move it' look and the two men were in the elevator before Delilah came out of the interrogation room. She looked around, obviously hoping to find Tim still there.

"Where is he, Agent Gibbs?"

"No longer your concern, Miss Fielding."

"I owe him an apology."

"After what you did?" Gibbs gave a snort and shook his head. "You owe him a hell of a lot more than that, but we'll settle for him living in peace."

Gibbs heard Tony coming out of the observation room and join them. He wasn't surprised when their conversation was interrupted. "That means you don't try to call Tim, you don't try to message him in any way. You're done, Delilah. You hurt him in a way no one else has ever managed to do and you don't get a second chance."

She was crying again. "I really do love him, Tony."

"I think you and Tim have a really different definition of love. Goodbye, Delilah."

Gibbs thought she was going to argue with Tony some more, but after staring at them for a few seconds she turned her chair and rolled it toward the elevator. He waited until she was out of earshot, then made a call to Palmer. "You guys out of the Yard yet?"

 _Pulling out now. Is there a problem?_

"Nope, just get him back to my place and tucked in. I'll be there later." There were times that Gibbs didn't like the steps to get up to his front door, but today he was glad they were there. Even if she showed up, Delilah wouldn't be able to go inside. Bishop had joined them and he looked at them both. "After I talk to Balboa, I'm going back to Bethesda to see the Admiral, then I'll be at the house. You two finish up any outstanding paperwork, then start going through cold cases."

"Balboa, Boss?"

"Need to trade weekends if we want to help McGee get moved."

Fielding was led out and Tony and Bishop both glared at him before following him out, leaving only Vance to walk back to the elevator with Gibbs. "The kid going to be all right?"

Gibbs tilted his head. "Eventually."

"Take care of him, Gibbs."

The elevator stopped to let Gibbs out into the bullpen and he found himself alone for the moment. "I always do."

Epilogue – 4 months later.

McGee was due back today after only two weeks of bereavement leave. Gibbs understood the wanting to get back into a daily routine, but it was still very soon. Tony was the first one on his feet when McGee arrived and Gibbs watched carefully from just outside the bullpen.

"How ya' doing, buddy?" Tony wrapped his arms around Tim and gave him a gentle hug. "You sure you're ready to be back?"

Tim sighed, melting into the hug for a moment before pulling back. "Yeah, Dad would want me to get back at it. Besides, Mom and Penny left yesterday."

"House feeling pretty empty?"

"A little."

They all knew how hard that admission was for their private partner. "When you're ready for a movie night, we'll be there."

That actually got a smile. "Sounds pretty good, actually. What's our next theme?"

They'd already had their Godfather night and their Bond night before the Admiral's death, and the rec room wasn't quite ready for Abby's pool night, but before Tony could come up with the next theme, Gibbs decided to walk in.

"Westerns, and I'm grilling steaks."

Blinking, Tony looked at McGee, who shrugged, before turning back to Gibbs. "Sure thing, Boss. Cowboy steaks and John Wayne it is."

"Your report on my desk yet, DiNozzo?"

"Umm, almost." Tony scrambled to pull up the nearly completed file, but managed to covertly watch as Gibbs stopped at McGee's desk.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, not great, but okay. Ready to get back to work – it's what he would have wanted."

"He was proud of you, Tim. Might not have been good at showing it, but the man was damned proud of you."

"Thanks, Boss." Tim took a shaky breath, but held it together. "In the end, we got it right. Thank you."

Gibbs just gave a nod as he headed toward his desk. "DiNozzo, finish up that report so you and McGee can drive down to interview the witness for the Clampton case again. See if he remembered anything else."

"The janitor? Isn't he working at that fancy beach resort down in North Carolina now? That'll be an overnight trip."

"Yep, so you'd better get going." Gibbs turned away, hiding his grin, but he suspected that Tony saw it anyway.

"On it, Boss." Tony hit print as he stood. "Grab your go bag, McGee, we're gonna to hit the road."

There was a flurry of activity as DiNozzo pulled the pages out of the printer and signed them before dropping them on Gibbs' desk and running to catch McGee at the elevator.

Chuckling, Gibbs gathered all the pages together and made sure they were back in the right order before slipping them into a folder. Upstairs, he found Vance leaning against the rail, where he'd been watching the team.

"Fred in Accounting is not going to be happy when he gets that expense report."

Gibbs just shrugged and handed over the final report on the finished case. "Ah, it does old Fred good to get his feathers ruffled once in a while." Besides, his boys deserved the break.

* * *

a/n - The sequel will pick up a few months after the end of this one. I'm not sure of the timing of when I will be posting. Army son is having major surgery (like 6-8 hours on the table and 5 days in ICU afterward) then the Army is bringing him home for 4 months of recovery time before he can even start any type of physical therapy so I'm not sure how much writing time I'll have. I'll probably be writing shorter stories that aren't so heavy on plot while that is going on. Depends on how well he recovers and how high my stress and worry levels are. Some good thoughts - and prayers if that's your belief - would be appreciated.


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